Moonlight Shadow
by SessInSunglasses
Summary: Kagome is kidnapped by Sesshoumaru, and Inuyasha goes after her. Will he make his decision between Kagome or Kikyou? Or will Kagome wind up with Sesshoumaru? InuxKag, KagxSess
1. Chapter 1

Hey people, first story, lemme know what ya think! Summary: Starts off with everyone in character, but they kinda wind up out of character in later chapters. Sess kidnaps Kagome, who helps him, and Inuyasha goes after her, then makes a big decision when he gets her back. Story continues from there.

Disclaimer: You know the drill...I own nothing but the plot. Sigh. P.S Neither do I own the title. It's one of my favourite songs. You can have it back when I'm done, I promise.

**Moonlight Shadow**

The wind shifted the long white strands of his silken hair, billowing them out behind him. His molten gold eyes narrowed, taking in his little brother. Inuyasha had once again run thoughtlessly into this battle, using the same tactics, and Sesshoumaru almost sighed. Almost. His brother would never change. His brother's wench, Kagome, stood on the sidelines, her arrow poised and ready to shoot. He felt something stir within him at the sight of her long black hair floating about her head like a halo, her expression…unreadable, for once. He found himself momentarily distracted by it; stoicism was his specialty, not hers. She always wore her heart on her sleeve, but not today, not this battle. He thought he almost sensed a hesitation in her as she aimed her notched arrow at his heart. Inuyasha noticed his brother's attention was no longer on him but on Kagome, and he didn't like it; the look on Sesshoumaru's face was…well, he couldn't describe it.

"Hey Sesshoumaru, I'm the one you're fighting, not her, look at me or I'll blow you away!" he yelled, and released the _Wind Scar_ on his brother, who turned with a bored expression replacing his former, indescribable one of earlier. He easily dodged his brother's blow, and looked on him with disdain, Kagome momentarily forgotten.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru drawled, his eyes narrowing again, "You forget your place. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were jealous of my looking at your wench just now." Inuyasha growled. Was he that transparent?

"Shut up asshole! She's none of your concern! Are you gonna tell me what the hell you came for or are you just itching to get me back for taking your arm?" Sesshoumaru glared outright at his brother's remark. Inuyasha had struck a nerve, and he knew it, but Sesshoumaru let his face become unreadable so quickly Inuyasha thought he might have just imagined his brother's glare.

Slowly, Sesshoumaru unsheathed _Tokijin_, and pointed it at his brother. "I came not to speak to you at all, _half-breed_," he made the word sound like the most loathsome thing in existence. "I came to speak with the wench. _Dragon Strike_!"

The attack came so swiftly that Inuyasha had his hands full just trying to avoid it. When he had jumped clear of the energy blast from his brother's sword, he looked around for the bastard, but couldn't see him. He felt his stomach sink. Kagome was gone, too. _'Damn him! He took her, and he knows I need her, so I can't just go steal her back without risking her life! Fuck!'_ Sometimes Inuyasha wished he had never met Kagome. Valuable as she was, she was a huge liability to their group, not to mention his heart, for she held it in the palm of her hand, but he would rather die than admit that to her at this point. He sighed. After sheathing _Tetsusaiga_, he ran back to camp to get the others. They would want to start following Sesshoumaru right away if they wanted Kagome back anytime soon.

Kagome blinked. When she next opened her eyes, Sesshoumaru had relieved her of her bow and arrows and released his infamous _Dragon Strike_ on Inuyasha. He stood directly in front of her, and before she could even take a breath in, he'd picked her up, thrown her over his shoulder, and taken to the sky.  
_ 'Wow,'_ she thought, _'he gives new meaning to the phrase, 'faster than the speed of thought.''_ And then she felt it, the massive draft going right up her skirt, and she was reminded of the undignified way he was holding her, and she squirmed and demanded that he put her down.

"Silence, wench," he growled, but he shifted her so she was next to him instead of over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. _'What could Sesshoumaru possibly want with me?'_ she thought, giving him a sidelong glance. He stared straight ahead, his gaze never wavering. It struck her now, maybe because she was so close to him, that he really was a very handsome man. Inuyasha had his good points, and she always secretly enjoyed any glimpses of him out of his fire rat haori whenever she could, which was often since he was always hurting himself, but she felt something tighten, deep down in her gut, as she covertly watched her captor. Something she often felt when Inuyasha would smile at her in what she affectionately referred to as his 'playboy' smile.

Kagome was aware of the difference between love and lust, for she often felt both around Inuyasha, and she knew that what she was feeling now was pure, unadulterated lust. Sesshoumaru felt his prize turn her head from him. He knew she'd been watching him, and to his chagrin, he began to scent arousal from her, and oddly, it pleased him, on a carnal, primitive level, though his face remained a mask of indifference. He returned his thoughts to his purpose and he began to speak.  
"Are you not curious as to why I have stolen you from your beloved _hanyou_, woman?" his tone was condescending when he reached the word hanyou.

"Of course I'm curious!" she sputtered, a frown marring her face. "Inuyasha's going to be angry that his evil brother has stolen one of his only two means of finding jewel shards," she ground out, and Sesshoumaru was surprised at the bitterness in her voice. He turned to face her, and she looked up at him. In her eyes, he could see pain, hurt, and confusion in honey-brown orbs that sparkled with the first vestiges of salty tears. In his eyes she could see nothing, except her own reflection, but that didn't stop her from searching for any feeling in the cold golden depths of his amazing eyes. Suddenly her eyes popped wide open. _'Amazing? Where did that come from?'_ she thought, and she began to blush.

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly, she was beginning to turn a most delectable shade of pink…he blinked, and she looked away. The moment was broken, and he felt his gut sink in disappointment. He decided he'd beat around the bush long enough.  
"My ward, Rin, is sick, and neither Jaken nor myself know what is wrong. He suggested that you may be of use, since my brother still breathes after many brushes with death."

He did not divulge to Kagome that Jaken had in fact not mentioned her at all, but some witch doctor up in the Musashi Plains, which was near the Bone Eater's Well. It had been Sesshoumaru himself who had made the decision to seek her counsel instead of some unreliable witch doctor.

"Oh no, is she alright?" Kagome was fond of Sesshoumaru's small human ward, Rin. The two girls had saved each other on numerous occasions, and Kagome's gut tightened in fear at the mere thought of anything happening to the cute little girl.

"She remains alive, if that is what you are enquiring. But her life-force diminishes as we speak." He didn't look at her this time, and she detected the worry in his voice, however hard he may have tried to hide it. She smiled.

"Of course I'll help, Sesshoumaru. I love Rin; I couldn't possibly know of her distress and not want to help. But can we swing by my campsite? I'll need my backpack, it has all my medical supplies…that is, if it's not too much trouble?" She gave him her 'Puppy Eyes' as Inuyasha called them.  
This time Sesshoumaru did look at her, and she could have sworn that she saw a ghost of a smile on his face, brief as it was. He returned his gaze to the path ahead of him.  
"As you wish." Kagome smiled, happy that she would soon be of service in helping Rin recover.

"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted from her perch on her firecat, Kirara. "Her backpack was missing when I came back from the spring, so whatever Sesshoumaru wants with her must be serious, if all her stuff is in there. She left all her sleeping stuff and her school stuff too." Inuyasha snorted.

"Perhaps Sesshoumaru's wards are sick," said a thoughtful Miroku, rubbing his chin from his position behind Sango. Inuyasha pondered this as he jumped higher, following his brother's stench. He just wanted his Kagome back. It scared him more than he was willing to admit that his evil brother had kidnapped her, and Kami only knew what he was capable of subjecting her to. He never once thought that Sesshoumaru wouldn't hurt Kagome; he knew all too well from experience that if she slighted him in any way he construed as disrespectful, which Kagome was on a daily basis, his brother wouldn't think twice about punishing her, and severely. He just hoped she had enough sense to let sleeping snakes lie, and do nothing to piss off his asshole of a half-brother.

Sesshoumaru set them down in a clearing next to a stream, where a small fire burned and a small kappa youkai sat watching it, a stick in his small hand for stoking the coals. Near him lie the human child, Rin, sweat beading on her brow as she weakly tried to thrash in her sleep. Kagome, nodding in acknowledgement to Jaken, who glared at her and looked to his Lord for answers only to be glared at in return, immediately greeted the young woman in a half-assed polite, "Well, wench, can anything be done?"

Kagome only smiled. She could hear the tension and worry in the undertones of his angry voice. He wasn't angry with her presence there so much as his inability to figure out what was wrong with the child on his own.

"We'll find out." She began to search through her massive yellow bag, and came up with a book so thick she strained to lift it with both hands. Sesshoumaru and Jaken watched with covert interest as Kagome began to prod the child. "What are her symptoms?" she asked Jaken, who out of his curiosity came to watch her ministrations.

The kappa demon thought for a minute. "She's been throwing up a lot, and before she passed out she complained of a sore tummy. After that she began to thrash and cry in her sleep and I tied her up so she wouldn't hurt herself." Kagome nodded, then felt the child's forehead with the palm of her hand. She gasped; the child was burning up. "How long has she been this way?" Kagome asked, opening her book and flipping through the pages of the Diagnostic Medical Volume to a section marked "Stomach Ailments." The kappa shrugged. "Two days, maybe. She was fine and then the pain seemed to hit her out of nowhere."

Kagome frantically flipped the pages again, looking for a specific illness, and when she found it, she read for a moment, then put the book down and palpated the girl's left side. She twitched, but otherwise made no complaints. It was when Kagome prodded her right side gently did she make noise. She began to thrash and moan from the extreme pain of Kagome's slight touch. Kagome nodded to herself and jammed her nose back in the book. She nodded her head every few seconds, and then abruptly shut the large volume.

"Well?" Jaken demanded, his curiosity making his tone harsh.

"She has Appendicitis. If we don't get her appendix out within the next twenty-four hours, it will burst and poison her blood, and she will die." Sesshoumaru, who had been staring at nothing for the last minute, whipped his head around. Die? No. He wouldn't allow it. His eyes narrowed. "What is the cure, wench."

She sighed. "Surgery. Her appendix must be removed from her body. And surgeries in this time are dangerous; the chances of infection even if a successful operation is performed are almost one hundred per cent. Even if she survived the surgery, the infection would kill her. There is only one thing I can do to help her."

The little clearing fell silent for what seemed to Kagome a long time. Jaken had sat down hard upon hearing the news, more disturbed by the thought of losing Rin than even he knew. Sesshoumaru opened his mouth several times, only to close it before any sound came out. Before Sesshoumaru could ask, Kagome told him, "I could take her through the well to my time and bring her to a hospital."

Sesshoumaru whipped his gaze to her. He didn't trust her words, but for some reason he couldn't fathom, he trusted her-implicitly. Perhaps it was because she and Rin shared a bond of friendship - a friendship which bordered on maternal for Kagome's part - that made him seriously consider her offer. He didn't think long, for time was limited and to be honest, he could think of no other option besides Jaken's witch doctor, and he certainly wasn't going to put any faith in that nonsense.

Kagome awaited his answer in earnest. She knew she needed his permission, and was totally prepared to argue her point if he denied her offer. The longer he thought, the more she psyched herself up, so much so that when he nodded his head in approval she let out a huge sigh of relief and grinned at him. Then she became serious.

"We need to leave right now." Her tone brooked no argument from either demon. She repacked her bag, and stood. Sesshoumaru walked over to her. "This better work, wench." he growled, and Kagome found herself fervently hoping the same thing. Her biggest concern was whether or not Rin would be able to pass through the well, because if she couldn't, Kagome would have no choice but to perform the surgery herself, and she knew she was not equipped to do that.

When Sesshoumaru had picked Rin up, Jaken and Kagome gathered close to him, she holding onto his waist while Jaken clung to his fur. When everyone was attached, he took to the air as fast as safety would allow towards the Plains of Musashi, and Kagome's Well.

Review if you like, I welcome all criticism. If you spot a mistake, lemme know!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, all! Yay, one review! Weee! This chapter goes out to lizziekins, who seems so eager to read my bad boy of a story! Thanks lizzie!

Disclaimer: See chapter one!

**Moonlight Shadow**

Inuyasha reached the clearing in time to see the whole group ascend into the sky. _'Damn!'_ he thought, _'just when she's in my reach I lose her again.'_ Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippo arrived seconds after he did. Miroku frowned as he watched the departing group. "Why are they heading towards Musashi?" he wondered out loud. Sango glanced at him.

"It looks that way, doesn't it?" She looked around the clearing, taking in the small pile of smoking ashes and the discarded ropes near a patch of very flat grass. She couldn't imagine what had happened here, let alone why Kagome hadn't appeared to at least attempt an escape. _'Of course,'_ Sango thought, _'maybe Kagome doesn't want to escape.'_ She'd seen Sesshoumaru; she knew that next to Inuyasha, he was the most exotic and handsome man she'd ever seen, even more handsome than the Lord who had wanted to marry her not too long ago, but whom she had abandoned in favour of her friends - and Miroku. Sango knew deep in her heart that, hentai though he was, Miroku had completely taken possession of her love the first time he had groped her.

Although she derived great pleasure from chastising his wandering hands, she couldn't help but love his carefree and happy nature, despite the fact that the Wind Tunnel hovered over his life like a black cloud, just waiting for the time when it could draw him into the void and he would be no more. She'd never tell him, but Sango fervently wished to destroy Naraku not only to avenge her family, but to save the monk's life, as well. If he were to be drawn in…she shook her head. She wouldn't think of that now, they had more important things to think about, namely getting Kagome back.

Inuyasha was letting his mind run amok as he took in the clearing around him. A few days ago, he and Kagome had gotten into a huge fight over none other than his late night meetings with Kikyou. He knew they were innocent meetings, and he tried to tell her so, but she wouldn't listen, and had stomped off to the well, only to return five minutes later mumbling something about forgetting her bag and men being stupid. Of course, he had followed her, despite the black looks she was throwing over her shoulder. Finally he had burst out, "Fine! If it makes you happy, I'll never go to her ever again!" This had stopped Kagome dead in her tracks. He had smiled; there, now that that was solved…but she had slowly turned, her eyes overflowing. The smile had disappeared faster from his lips than ramen down his throat.

She had approached him, her face wet and shining with her tears. "Don't kid yourself. We both know that in your heart there is no room for me. Kikyou, as dead as she is, is still more important to you. I know as well as you do that you don't want to go to hell with her like you keep saying. You are a man of actions, and few words. If you'd wanted that, you'd have done it by now." Here she had paused, and sniffled loudly, wiping her nose on her sleeve, grimacing, then continuing.

"What I don't understand is why, when your so hung up on her, you have a way of making me feel, even if only briefly, as if you love me as much as you do her. I know this is a shock to you, but I realized a long time ago that I love you, Inuyasha, as hard-headed, mean, condescending and possessive as you are. But when you go to her, it only serves to remind me how much you take me for granted, as if I'll always be there waiting when you come back. Well, my heart can only take so much. And right now it really hurts, so I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone with my thoughts tonight, because I have a lot to think about, and, I think, so do you." With that, she had turned toward the village and disappeared from his sight. He was speechless; she loved him? He felt it, he felt a swelling in his heart; he loved her too. But she was right, how did she fit into his life when Kikyou was always there in the background like a spider, hovering, watching, waiting?

Inuyasha had spent the rest of the night in the Goshimboku, thinking about Kagome and Kikyou. He had a lot of happy memories of Kagome, and not so many of Kikyou. He came to a realization then: he didn't love Kikyou, he'd pitied her, and in his pity he had grown fond of her, then mistaken his fondness for love. Kagome, on the other hand, was like a ray of sunshine in his life, she was always smiling, and it was usually his fault when she wasn't, but that aside, she had cried for him, stayed with him (despite his confusion and apparent choice in lovers), and comforted him.

And on top of that, she had just admitted what he himself could feel was there all along. She loved him. And he loved her. It was then that he made a choice. He would talk to Kaede and ask for her opinion. The elderly miko's words from before echoed in his mind: _'The Kikyou ye wish to be with now is not of this world. She has no business being alive.'_ Yes, he had a responsibility to Kikyou, and he was going to keep it, even if it killed him to do so, but he hoped his plan would work out in the end.

The next day, after Kagome had gone back to her time for a day in sullen silence, which Inuyasha regretted, he came down from the God Tree and looked into Kaede's hut, thankfully finding her alone. "Inuyasha," she had acknowledged softly, seeing the look in his eyes, "Is something troubling ye?"

He sighed, "Yeah," he said and sat down in front of her. "Kaede," he began, "I want to ask you something. You said before that Kikyou has no business being alive, and all she wants is to die again with me, right?" Kaede nodded, unable to see where he was going with this. "Aye, I remember." "Well, I did some thinking last night, and I've come to a decision. I realized that I never really loved Kikyou, but I was fond of her and mistook that as love. I realized that the one I truly love is Kagome, and that it hurts her when I go to see Kikyou." Kaede nodded at this.

"Anyway, I've decided to live up to my responsibility to Kikyou; I'm going to find her, and put her soul to rest. Do you have any objections?"

Kaede thought long and hard about what he'd said. Finally, she raised her head, tears in her good eye. "Aye, Inuyasha, ye have my agreement in this. T'is a wise choice ye've made, young man. If she had not been my only sister, I would have laid her to rest myself. But I am weak in regard to my sister, as you were. I was right when I said my sister had no business in this world, and her hatred and bitterness toward you only serves to confirm my belief that she needs to be laid to rest. And the sooner, the better."

Inuyasha nodded, relieved to have Kaede on his side about this. "I will see it done," he said, rising and straightening his haori. Kaede watched in silence, her tears drying on her cheeks. "Tell no one of this, hag," he growled in his customary attitude, and left the room before she even knew he was gone. Kaede nodded mutely. _'Goodbye sister,'_ she thought, raising both hands in prayer. _'May Kami be with ye.'_

Inuyasha shook his head to clear it. He had yet to find Kikyou and carry out his plan, but right now, Kagome's retrieval was more important. "Come on," he yelled, taking off after his brother, the others following, lost in thought.

Sesshoumaru set them down right next to the well, handing Rin to Kagome and saying nothing. Jaken, releasing his master's fur, wobbled from motion sickness, but thankfully had not voiced his complaints during the trip. Kagome had begun to feel nauseous herself, but the feeling had dissipated the moment her feet touched the earth. Balancing Rin and her bag, she climbed the lip of the well and looked over her shoulder. "Wish me luck." And then she jumped. A flash of blue light receded as Jaken peered over the edge of the well, confirming that both girls were nowhere to be seen.

_'So,'_ Sesshoumaru thought, _'the well does work.'_ "Jaken," he called sharply. "Yes milord?" the kappa answered. "Let us return to the Western Lands. We still have our duties to see to."  
"Yes milord." Jaken obeyed, following his master away from the well, surprised that Sesshoumaru would even leave the vicinity, but nonetheless grateful for the quiet that came without the two women in tow.

Kagome climbed the ladder slowly, having flung Rin over her shoulder much the way Sesshoumaru had done to her. When she reached the top, she readjusted Rin's position and ran as fast as she was able into the house, shouting, "Mama! Hurry and get the car! We have to go to the hospital!" Her mother, grandfather, and Souta all came running at the sound of her voice. "What's the matter, Kagome?" her mother asked, worried. Her grandfather and brother simply stared at the limp body in her arms.

"We have to get Rin to the hospital before her appendix bursts. At least I think that's what's wrong with her." Kagome bit her lip. She was no expert, and had only brought the Diagnostic Medical Textbook back with her in case any of her friends got sick. Her gut rolled over, time was of the essence. Her mother ran to get the keys to the car, while Grandpa and Souta helped her carry the small girl down the shrine steps to the car. Her mother followed, huffing in her hurry. Soon all three women were ensconced in the vehicle and on their way to the nearest hospital.

When Rin woke up, a pair of big brown eyes were staring into hers. She recognised those eyes, but her mind was foggy, and she wasn't thinking straight. When the face before her finally floated into focus, she smiled and croaked, "Lady Kagome." Kagome grinned, and a tear rolled from her eye. "Oh, sweetheart," she cried, and embraced the little girl in a warm hug, being careful not to touch her tender right side. Rin grimaced anyway, the pain coming back anew, though dull. "Where are we?" she asked groggily, the morphine making it hard to keep her eyes open.

"You're with me in my time, remember I told you I was from the future? Well, you were sick, and Master Jaken and Sesshoumaru-sama were worried for your safety, and they came to me for help, and I brought you here to my time, because you were a very sick little girl, Rin." She left out the fact that Sesshoumaru had kidnapped her and his unspoken threats about not bringing her back alive.

Rin shook her head in an effort to stay awake. She vaguely saw Kagome reach out and hit the call button for the nurse on the wall. Her eyes felt so heavy, and when Kagome grabbed her hand and began rubbing the back of it, she was undone, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Inuyasha saw his brother turn from the well and head West - where he belonged, in Inuyasha's opinion. But before he let his brother walk out of his life, as he was wont to do, Inuyasha had a few questions for him before he left.

"Sesshoumaru!" he bleated, causing his brother to pause mid-stride. "What have you done with Kagome?" Inuyasha approached his brother until just out of his whip-range. Sesshoumaru turned, and regarded his brother. He sighed inwardly; this was going to cost him.

"Your wench has returned to her own time with my ward. She was sick." Although that was all the information Sesshoumaru felt necessary to dispense, Inuyasha did not. "Sick? You mean you actually cared enough to kidnap my Kagome and force her to take Rin to her time to heal her? No way you've grown a heart, you bastard, you're the coldest son of a bitch I know." Inuyasha didn't realize that that he'd referred to Kagome as his, but everyone else did, and all heads turned in his direction, though he was oblivious to all except his brother's expression.

Sesshoumaru offered a ghost of a smile at his brother's possessiveness of the girl. He himself was well acquainted with the feeling but would be loathe to ever admit it. However, he was finished here, and would only return upon the girls' arrival to retrieve Rin.

"Keep to your own business brother. You're wench is fine. At least, physically. Mentally though, after hanging around with you, I really couldn't say." This got the desired effect out of Inuyasha as his eyes narrowed and his growl climbed in volume. Sesshoumaru gave him a bored look, uttered a short "Huh," and turned again toward the West.

Inuyasha watched his brother until he was out of sight. Then, without a word, he ran into Inuyasha's Forest, not even bothering to look back.

Miroku and Sango exchanged a glance. Miroku said, "Did he just say _my_ Kagome?" and Sango replied with an awed, "Uh huh. He sure did." Both were completely dumbfounded. Sango had always harboured feelings of anger against Inuyasha's relationship with Kikyou and his two-timing ways, while Miroku often wondered how he managed to string both of them along and live to tell about it, for Lady Kagome was fond of sitting him as she saw fit. Also, he was surprised that Inuyasha hadn't immediately jumped into the well just to confirm his brother's story. But apparently he believed his word.

Shippo spoke up, "How come Inuyasha didn't go get Kagome? He always goes after her." Both adults shared a look. Shippo obviously missed the possessiveness in Inuyasha's voice just now, and wondered why he hadn't done what was true to form; to go to Kagome and pester her into returning sooner.

"I don't know, Shippo, maybe he has something he has to do first," Miroku supplied, wondering if it was what he thought it might be. Miroku had overheard Inuyasha talking to Kaede the other day, and had managed to keep the secret to himself so far, but decided now was as good a time as any to tell his friends of Inuyasha's plan. "Come, let us return to the village. I have some information you all might want to know about."

Inuyasha searched and searched, until he finally found it: the stench of dirt and bones. _Kikyou_.  
He spotted her on a ledge, just staring out over the Musashi Plains, the Bone Eater's Well visible in the far distance. He watched as her hair blew in the wind, and how she never blinked her eyes even though his were increasingly dry in the brisk wind, another reminder to him of her unnatural state. She turned to look at him.

"Won't you come join me, Inuyasha?" she asked, having sensed his approach long before she actually saw him. He jumped down from his perch, and approached her warily. He had to be strong; he couldn't afford to fail in this endeavour. It had to be done, and he would see it through.

"No, Kikyou." She started at his refusal. He never refused her, and such a simple request at that. She stared, waiting for him to continue. When he did not, she asked, "What's the matter, Inuyasha? Are you ready to die with me, or do you have another purpose in seeking me out this day?"

"No, Kikyou." he repeated. "I'm not going to die with you. I've been thinking a lot lately, and I owe it to you to tell you of my decision." He paused, this was so hard. "Kikyou, I realised that I never loved you. I was fond of you, true, but that day, when we kissed on the dock fifty years ago, I felt deep down like I was kissing my sister. I mistook my fondness of you for love, and for that, I'm sorry, because I know you thought I loved you, and I never told you any different." He took a breath. Her expression remained a mask of indifference. He wondered if he was getting through to her.

"You're hatred and bitterness toward me are totally unfounded, and I hate to see someone I was so fond of existing like a shadow. I've decided that I will not go to hell with you Kikyou, but I will see through my responsibility to you." At this, Inuyasha drew _Tetsusaiga_, but it did not transform. He had expected as much.

Kikyou laughed. "What, are you going to kill me, Inuyasha? You cannot kill me; I am dead. I died once for you, I will not die again unless I'm taking you with me." She smiled the smile he hated, the self-satisfied smile that she wore when she thought she was about to get her way in the matter. She was sorely mistaken.

With tears forming in his eyes, he whispered, "I'm sorry for everything, Kikyou, but not for this." And he slashed at her, severing her head from her shoulders. The tears flowed hot and blurred his vision as he caught her body and lifted it over his shoulders. He carried her back to the edge of the cliff and started a large fire. Placing her body in it, he watched as she was cremated, until her entire body turned to ash. Then, when the fire had died, he removed his haori and scooped up the ashes, and tied them in a bundle. As he stood, he sensed his brother behind him.

Turning, he was astonished to see Sesshoumaru had a look of pity in his eyes, though his face remained impassive. He nodded and said the only thing Inuyasha could possibly construe as praise from his elder brother: "How does it feel to know you've made the right decision?"

Inuyasha considered. He felt rotten, but the feeling was slowly subsiding, as thoughts of Kagome and her smiles filled his mind. Taking his brother's silence as a positive sign, Sesshoumaru turned, adding, "This changes nothing between us, _half-breed_." and took his leave once again.  
Inuyasha gathered up the bundle and hurried back to the village; Kaede would want Kikyou's ashes reburied properly, and, he found himself thinking, so did he. She was finally at rest. He heaved a great sigh, and immediately began to feel a little better.

When Rin had recovered three days later, Kagome took her back to the well. Rin, looking a little green around the gills at the thought of jumping into the black hole, clung to Kagome's leg in fear. Smiling, Kagome picked her up and settled her on her hip, even though Rin was too old and too heavy for such things. Hugging each other tightly, Kagome whispered, "Ready?" Rin nodded. And she jumped.

Sesshoumaru was waiting when the well flashed and the blue light subsided. Looking over the lip, he spotted both girls and almost lost control and smiled when Rin shouted, "Sesshoumaru-sama! I missed you!" Kagome, however, having no compunction about her emotions, laughed out loud at the girl's excitement at the sight of her Lord as he hoisted them out of the well. Rin grabbed Sesshoumaru's leg and held on tight. _'So,'_ Kagome thought, _'the Ice Prince does have a heart.'_ She watched as Sesshoumaru bestowed the child a very brief yet fond look as she buried her face in his white hakama. Rin, knowing from experience how much affection and physical contact her Lord allowed, stepped away quickly, though she wanted so much just to hold him with all she possessed, and never let go. He was her saviour, her knight…he was her Father. As harsh a taskmaster as he could be, Sesshoumaru was and always would be the dominant male figure in her life, and she thanked Kami everyday for his resurrection of her.

Kagome followed Rin, and knelt down in front of her. "Rin, honey, here are the rest of your antibiotics. Remember to take one every morning with water, ok sweetheart? Take them until they're all gone, and don't forget!" Then, impulsively, she hugged the little girl, and without hesitation, Sesshoumaru noticed, Rin hugged her back, and heard her whisper, "Mommy," so quietly that he doubted Kagome even heard.

When they parted, Sesshoumaru asked Rin to call Master Jaken and have him help her mount Ah-Un for he didn't want her walking yet. Dutifully the child nodded her head, her little ponytail flicking up and down. Kagome smiled in a maternal way at her; she smiled back, then left to carry out Sesshoumaru's wishes, which left he and Kagome alone for the first time since the original kidnapping. To say it was awkward was an understatement.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Sesshoumaru swung to face her. He opened his mouth to speak, then snapped his jaw shut when he saw the mirth and happiness in her eyes. She smiled, a small smile, for him. "It's ok, Sesshoumaru," she whispered. "I understand how hard it is, and I know what you're trying to say. You're welcome, and don't hesitate to come to me in the future should anything come up. You may be Inuyasha's enemy, but I hope you don't think I think the same way. Because I consider you a friend. A very quiet, albeit frank friend, but a friend nonetheless. You owe me no debt, for I would have done the same for anyone I love, and I love that little girl." He stared at her. He knew he owed her, yet she had let him off the hook. He nodded, content to let it go for now. He would find some way to repay her, no matter what she said. Outwardly, he nodded his thanks, and swiftly took his leave.

Kagome watched Sesshoumaru until he disappeared from whence he came. She had a feeling that she hadn't seen the last of him.

Turning, she made her way through Inuyasha's Forest to Kaede's hut, looking for her friends. She hoped they weren't too worried about her. Making her way down the shrine steps, she ran into Kaede on her way up. Surprised, Kaede asked, "Where have ye been, child? Inuyasha has been waiting for ye." _'He has?'_ she thought. _'Since when did Inuyasha ever wait for me?'_ She began to feel nervous.

"Do you know where I might find him, Kaede?" she asked, and Kaede noticed the hesitation behind her tone. _'She's worried the hanyou has bad news, or is upset with her,'_ the miko thought. She let a smile spread across her face. "He awaits ye under the Goshimboku, child. I think ye'll be surprised with what he has to say." Then, turning, the elderly miko made her way up the steps, while Kagome thought about what she'd said. _'Surprised?'_ she thought. _'Now I'm really worried. And what was that jar Kaede had in her hand? Looked like an urn of some sort,'_ Kagome thought distractedly, running down the steps toward the God Tree, where she and Inuyasha first made their acquaintance, and he had tried to kill her.

Well, chapter two is now done. Hope everyone enjoyed. I'll update pretty regularly; this behemoth is about three-quarters done (I hope) lol, so like i said, review, and enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, everybody! Three more reviews, and in only one day! Wooot! This big boy goes out to BrokenWingedAngel16, strodgfrgf, and midnights-dawn, who were generous enough to leave their mark. Thanks you guys! Your all so positive, its makes me less depressed, it's all for you! Well, enough with the water-works, here's chapter three! (P.S. Prepare for lemony goodness!)

Disclaimer: See chapter one!

**Moonlight Shadow**

Inuyasha sat in the branches of the God Tree, dreading yet anticipating Kagome's arrival. He had smelt her come back through the Well, and had jumped into this tree, hoping to sort out his thoughts and feelings. He'd never felt more nervous than he did right then. He looked up at the sound of a loud smack, and a screeched, "Hentai!" from Sango somewhere in the distance, probably the hot spring. He chuckled. Miroku was up to his old tricks again…

Kagome paused under the tree and looked up at him, watching him while he was briefly unaware. He smiled, and she wondered if he could actually see Sango and Miroku, for even she had heard the slap and the shout. She herself couldn't help but smile in amusement. Then, out of nowhere, and without looking down at her, Inuyasha said, "You're beautiful when you smile."

Kagome's jaw dropped. He never said things like that to her - not without a reason. She prepared for the worst. A strangled, "Thanks," managed to escape her; she never knew how. Before she could blink, he was in front of her, enfolding her in his tight embrace, and, was he-? She thought she was dreaming, for she thought she heard him sigh in contentment - at having her back? She couldn't tell.

Deciding to forego words for the moment, she dropped her bag and hugged him back, suddenly feeling the familiar pull in her loins as her lust for him flared with each beat of her racing heart. She knew he could smell it, and she knew he felt the same, she could feel it burgeoning between them, straining to be free. He turned her head, and devoured her lips in what was the most passionate kiss he'd ever shared with her, and she melted into him. He could ask anything of her now, and she would never deny him, in fact wanted him to take her and do as he saw fit. But they both knew the words had to come first.

Slowly, they parted, and Inuyasha took Kagome's hand in his, and lead her to sit in his lap under the Goshimboku. Then, taking a deep breath, he took the plunge.

"Kagome, I've been thinking a lot since you've been gone, and I have some things I need to tell you. First, I forgive you for helping my brother." She turned to him, a hot reply ready, but when she saw the mirth in his eyes, her remark died on her tongue. He said he forgave her, but what he meant was that he understood that she did it not for Sesshoumaru, but for Rin, because it was in her nature to love all children and do everything in her power to help; that was the way she was, and that was the way she would remain.

Grunting, she turned her back to him again, waiting for him to continue.

"Second," he said, "I took care of some business that needed my attention while you were away. I thought long and hard about what you said to me a few days ago, before you left, and I realized that I couldn't stand to hurt you anymore, so I thought about the differences between my relationships with you and Kikyou. And when I really thought about it, it hit me. I didn't love her. I never really did. I only thought I did because I'd become so attached to her that I mistook her kindness for love when all I really felt toward her was pity, and an overwhelming desire to relieve her of her loneliness.

"Thirdly, I took care of my responsibility to Kikyou. Kaede and I discussed it, and we both agreed that Kikyou wouldn't be free until she was finally laid to rest. So, I went to her. And…" here he paused, the memory rushing back and filling him with remorse, but not regret. She turned back to him, and placed her small hand over his heart, urging him to continue.

"And…I killed her." Inuyasha looked into Kagome's eyes, expecting to see triumph, happiness, or…he didn't know what he expected. But he didn't expect what he did see. Her eyes were full of tears, tears that overflowed and ran freely down her creamy cheeks, and falling from her chin onto his chest. She sniffled. "You killed her? But why? I mean, I know she stood between us, but to kill her? Oh, I…" she was at a loss for words. Her heart wanted to rejoice, but her conscience balked at the idea.

"It's ok, Kaede and I both knew it had to be done. Kaede told me that if Kikyou hadn't been her only sister she would have finished her off the day Urasue brought her back herself. Don't you see, Kagome? The only way any of us could live had to be with her death. Kaede was right when she said Kikyou had no business being in this world, and she was suffering in her unnatural state. I couldn't move on as long as she breathed, and neither could I truly devote myself to the one I truly love…you. And you needed your soul back, I can only imagine how it felt when she stole it from you. And, I think, Kikyou couldn't be happy either, not until she was free, and her spirit laid to rest. So, that's what I did. For you, Kagome. Because I love you, I always have. Kikyou may have been kind to me, but you were something else. You are everything she wasn't, Kagome. She never cried for me, or trusted me as implicitly as you do. She never gave me gifts or took the time to really get to know me. But most of all, you don't want me to change myself for you, when all she wanted was for me to become human, not for me, but for her own selfish needs. It's when I think of this that I realize that I never want to let you go, for you are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Kagome."

When he finished, Kagome was speechless. She was completely undone when Inuyasha licked the tears from her face and kissed her with all the passion and love he could muster, until she was breathless. When he broke the kiss, she whispered, "Oh Inuyasha, I love you so much I feel like I'm going to burst. Please, tell me I'm not dreaming." And she kissed him, knotting her right hand on his white forelock of hair and placing her other at the base of his ear, which she proceeded to rub fervently.

Inuyasha began to purr; he began to grow hot, and he began to fight his inner demon, which demanded he take her right there. He knew by Kagome's moans and sighs that she wanted a closer way to be, as well. Picking her up, he took her to the Well, and jumped in. Then, once on the other side, he jumped out, and jumped straight to her bedroom window. Placing her on the bed inside, he kissed her again, and whispered, "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back," and left the room to check for anyone in the house. Pleased at finding it empty with only a note on the table saying the family was out visiting Kagome's other grandparents, Inuyasha beat a hasty retreat to his waiting woman.

While he had been gone Kagome had removed her shoes and socks, but Inuyasha halted her. "Let me," he growled, and her heart skipped a beat. Ever so slowly he undressed her, taking first her skirt and shirt, then her underwear. Turning her about, he removed her bra, and she reached down and put both of his hands on each of her breasts. Growling with pleasure, he gently squeezed them, feeling their weight in the palms of his clawed hands. Slipping her arms up and around his neck, she turned her head to his face and licked his lips, then blew on them softly. When he released her, she began to undress him, taking his haori and hakama, undoing the knots so slowly he wanted to shout his frustration at her teasing.

When she had peeled his under-kimono off, she ran her hands up and down his chest, then stood back to admire his sculpted abs. "Like what you see?" he asked, in a throaty, husky voice. She nodded. "Very much so," she replied, smiling from underneath her eyelashes. "So much so, I could lick you all over…" His inner demon could take no more. He pulled her to him and began to lick her neck, while guiding her hands to the knot on his fundoshi. When she had removed it, he felt her fingers explore his length, and he growled deep with the sheer pleasure she was arousing in him. Wrapping her in his arms, he laid her down on her bed, and continued to lick and suck her neck, while she strained to be as close to him as she could get.

Once again her hand found its way southward, to firmly grasp him, and when she squeezed he knew he had to take her soon or he would explode before he had the chance to pleasure her as much as she was he. He moved to hover over her, and he was met with no hesitation whatsoever as he nudged her knees apart with his own. Positioning himself above her, she guided him into her, until he came to her barrier. Fastening his lips on her neck, he thrust himself into her - hard, while he bit her neck, then licked the blood from the wound with tender strokes of his tongue. She had not cried out, not from his bite nor from his deep penetration.

He felt enormous inside her; but she quickly grew accustomed to him, and when he started to move again, he evoked nothing but pure pleasure from deep within her very core. To his surprise and wonder, she grasped his hips and started grinding her own against him. Needing no further encouragement, he began to ride her, until they both came together. She moaned; he trembled. She kissed his face gently, and saw how sweaty he was. Though they both breathed hard, her breaths had slowed while he continued to pant. She lay his head on her chest and began to rub his ears, making him purr like a kitten. Soon, they were both asleep.

After showering together, Kagome and Inuyasha returned to the Feudal Era, holding each other's hands and kissing often. When they got to Kaede's, Kagome had a package waiting for her. No one knew who it was from, but Inuyasha could smell his brother all over it, though he refrained from saying anything derogatory - yet. Kagome, even though she had told him it wasn't necessary, knew Sesshoumaru was trying to pay her back for her generosity.

Taking the package outside and dragging Inuyasha with her, Kagome sat down on the edge of the porch and unwrapped her gift. She tore the plain paper away, and inside there was a beautiful yukata, obi, sandals, and a crescent moon necklace. The yukata was white, with Sesshoumaru's crest embroidered in the fabric in the same shade of white. The obi was red, and had flowers woven into its design. The sandals were plain, but functional, and the necklace sparkled a beautiful blue in the sunlight.

Kagome was speechless. Sesshoumaru's gift was so beautiful, she couldn't wait to try it on. Inuyasha grumbled, "At least he's got good taste," and picked up the note that had fluttered to the ground and out of Kagome's notice. "There's a note too," he said, and, since he could not read, something Kagome reminded herself to remedy, he handed it to her to read.  
At first, she didn't read it out loud, she read it to herself.

_Lady Kagome, I know this gift does not begin to repay you for your generosity, and even though you expressly asked me not to, my honour and pride would not allow me to let the matter slide. I, Sesshoumaru, always pay my debts, and this time is no different. I hope the outfit is to your liking; Jaken will be by to see how it fits. I have one more gift to you, but sadly, it is not finished yet. I will deliver it personally upon its completion. _

_Lord Sesshoumaru _

_P.S. The necklace will put you under my protection when you wear it. Should you need protection and Inuyasha is not near, I will come. You have my loyalty for as long as you live, Lady._

Kagome was impressed. Inuyasha urged her to read it to him, and she did. He too, was surprised that his brother was so grateful, respectful even, for he had always known Sesshoumaru to be callous, ruthless, and evil, but it seemed his Kagome had managed to tame the beast. Inuyasha was suddenly happy that he had her, and wouldn't be losing her to his brother, or anyone else for that matter. Leaning over, he brushed back her hair to expose the mating mark on her neck, and licked it.

Kagome shuddered at his touch, and giggled. Then, serious, she turned to face him. "Inuyasha, do you think I should wear the necklace?" she asked, wanting to have the green light from him on the matter. She knew he may take his brother's offer as an insult to his own abilities to protect her, but to her pleasant surprise, he nodded after giving it brief thought. "Why not?" he asked, putting an arm over her shoulder. "If he trusts you enough to offer his protection, why not accept? You can never have too much protection. And, besides, it puts my mind to rest, knowing now that he won't hurt you, just me, because he owes you."

She smiled, and kissed the tip of his nose in gratitude. Then she slipped on the necklace, and Inuyasha fastened it closed. "Now go try on the outfit," he ordered, his voice husky. "I can't wait to see you in it so I can rip it off you." She laughed out loud. "It's too nice to rip, Inuyasha, but you may, no, you will, take it off all the same. I wouldn't have it any other way." She got up, and, winking at him, retreated into the hut to try on the yukata and show it to Inuyasha, who promptly pushed her inside and pulled it off her, as promised.

Jaken, who had been observing the couple from downwind, saw that for the brief time the Lady was wearing it, that the yukata fit perfectly, and left to report this to his Lord.

Sesshoumaru felt it the moment Kagome put the necklace on, and he nodded to himself, for her decision to wear it was wise. Now she would be under the protection of both Inu brothers, and would never come to harm. Shortly Jaken came running, panting and out of breath. Sesshoumaru raised a brow at him that seemed to ask, _'Well?'_

"It fits my Lord, and she looked wonderful for the few minutes she had it on, before Inuyasha stripped her of it." Jaken said this last distastefully, since he himself abhorred humans, excepting Rin, who was currently knee-deep in the stream, catching her dinner.

Sesshoumaru turned with only a nod of acknowledgement to Jaken, and watched Rin with a passive expression. If one looked close enough, one would have seen the brief smile that graced his lips as he watched over his ward, completely oblivious as she concentrated on her task to just how close to dying - again - she had been. Of all things, Sesshoumaru wished to spare her the agony of expiring, having done it once already.

_'Only one thing left to do now,'_ he thought, and ordered Jaken to watch over Rin while he strode off in the opposite direction. Jaken wondered what his Lord had in mind, for he was headed toward Totosai's, and this confused Jaken greatly. What business could Lord Sesshoumaru have with old Totosai when he already had _Tokijin_?

Sesshoumaru approached Totosai's den silently, not wishing to scare the old demon off; this time, he would get what he requested, he had no doubt, once the old man heard him out.

Totosai had his back to the entrance, and he swung his hammer down with a _thwack_ as he blew fire down the blade of his latest creation. His old ears twitching, he jumped in fear when he saw who stood behind him. Sesshoumaru smiled at Totosai, momentarily forgetting that he never smiled, not in goodwill, anyway, and Totosai yelled and hid behind his stone slab in terror. Sesshoumaru remembered himself and the smile disappeared. "Relax, Totosai," he said smoothly, hoping to soothe the old one's ruffled feathers.

Totosai growled, "What do you want now, you mongrel? I already told you that I refuse to make you another sword, and now that you have _Tokijin_, you have no purpose here! What is it you want with me now then, if not a new sword?" The old man crawled out from behind his rock, his terror overtaken by his anger and displeasure, making him forget his earlier fear.  
Sesshoumaru sighed. "I owe someone a boon, so I have come to request that you make a sword for this woman as a gift from me."

Totosai's jaw dropped in such a comical matter that if Sesshoumaru had been anyone else he would have pointed and laughed at the ridiculous picture the old man made. Closing his mouth, the old man's eyes narrowed suspiciously, thinking this a trick. Something, he was sure, that Sesshoumaru wouldn't resort to because it was beneath him to do so. That left only one explanation: he was being honest and wanted a sword for someone else. But who?

"And just who, pup, is this woman? I want to know who's going to be wielding my sword before I decide whether or not to honour your request."  
Sesshoumaru paused, then got it over with. "Lady Kagome, Totosai, whom you well know, will be wielding the sword I commission of you this day."  
Again Totosai's jaw hit the ground, and Sesshoumaru found what little patience he had with this old codger was quickly dissipating.

Totosai rubbed his head, then nodded. "Alright, Sesshoumaru, I'll do this for you, but only because the Lady has excellent standing with me. Is there any particular style you wish her sword to be fashioned in?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru sat down, as Totosai did, and made himself temporarily comfortable. "Yes, old man. Her sword must be light but strong, for she is slight in size. I also wish to instill my healing abilities, along with my poison, in the blade. Thirdly, I want a barrier placed on it so that only the human miko may wield the weapon." Totosai nodded, feeling this to be a weapon most worthy of the Lady. Knowing Sesshoumaru would not allow it, but trying anyway, he asked, "Open up for me, would you Sesshoumaru?", only to have the pliers yanked from his hand. He watched with no surprise as Sesshoumaru placed the tool on his fang and wrenched it from his mouth, with his own hand, without so much as a grunt of pain. Already his fang began to regrow.

"You have your instructions, Totosai," he said, turning to leave. "I will return in three days for the sword." With that warning, he disappeared from sight. Totosai smiled to himself. Was this gift really the pup's desire to repay a boon, or did he have feelings for Lady Kagome? Totosai suspected that it was a little bit of both. Myoga, who had watched the whole exchange in silence, bounded from the cave, eager to inform his master of these recent developments.

Well, there you have it. The much asked for third chapter, in all its lemony-freshness, heehee. This was so much fun to write, and guess what? Better lemon to come! Yay! Well, you know what to do...Later, my beloved readers!


	4. Chapter 4

Well, people, here we are! And this one's a doozy! its sooo long! The longest so far, at over 5,000 words! Holy Crap on a short stick. Anyway, this chappie goes out to Sesshomaur'sLuver and Kittenchrissy, who were kind enough to review. This lemon's for you, guys! By the way, this one's better than last chapter's, so be happy!

Disclaimer. I own nothing. Yay to me for plot!

**Moonlight Shadow**

Three days later, Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara, along with the entire village, turned out for the memorial service and reburial of Kikyou's ashes. It was a sad yet heartfelt ceremony, and Kagome held Inuyasha close through the whole ordeal. When Kaede had concluded her prayers, there was a bright flash that emitted from the urn in her hands that struck Kagome full force; her missing piece of soul had returned to her body, and she fell limp in Inuyasha's arms, exhausted.

Kaede buried the urn for the last time as Inuyasha carried Kagome back to the hut. As he went he thought that they really needed to build their own hut, for they couldn't bunk with the old hag forever. He also remembered that they still hadn't found any jewel shards lately, and he was awed at how easily he'd forgotten all about them in Kagome's absence.

As Kagome slept, Inuyasha told Miroku and Sango about his and Kagome's decision to mate. Both were happy for the new couple, and Shippo shyly approached Inuyasha, and asked if he could call him Father, for Kagome was like a second mother to him, and what was a mother without a father when one was available?

Inuyasha chuckled, and ruffled the kit's hair. "Sure, kid, why not? Just don't think I'll go any easier on you." Shippo grinned. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Kagome awoke while her friends were talking together. They laughed and looked so happy as she watched, she hated to interrupt their fun. Changing into the beautiful yukata Sesshoumaru had given her, she stepped outside, hoping to entice Inuyasha inside to remove it from her as he had done the last few days, when she suddenly felt the presence of two jewel shards. She groaned. Now was not a good time for Kouga to show up. Hoping to avoid a confrontation between the mouthy wolf and her possessive mate, she crept away into the forest, hoping to draw Kouga toward her and away from Inuyasha. Maybe she could resolve this whole issue without Inuyasha ever finding out.

She clamped a hand to the crescent moon around her neck for reassurance. Should worse come to worse, she had Sesshoumaru to back her in her endeavour, as well.

Kouga arrived in front of her in his customary cloud of dust, a devilish smile on his face. Her heart sped up not in anticipation, but in dread for what she was about to tell him.

"Kagome, I smelled your scent and couldn't resist coming to see you," he grasped her hands with his own and took a deep breath. He stopped mid-sentence as her scent flowed over his olfactory cells once again; there was something different about it this time. It wasn't just her he was smelling now, but a mix of smells. Inuyasha's was most prominent, but the scent of…Sesshoumaru? Why was his scent on her? Kouga frowned, noticing the sparkling crescent hanging from her neck. His eyes popped wide open as he brushed her hair away from her shoulder and tilted her head so he could plainly see her throat. She didn't resist his actions, knowing he had figured it out.

"Kagome," he whispered, the realization hitting him full-force. "How could you? I claimed you as mine, remember?" Then he thought of something. "He forced you, didn't he? I'll kill that mutt for what he's done!"

"Kouga, stop it." Kagome cut him off. "Nothing has happened to me since I saw you last that I didn't want to happen. Inuyasha and I are mated now; I love him with all my heart. You knew that from the beginning. Besides, you have Ayame. How do you think it makes her feel to know that she doesn't measure up even when you promised yourself to her long before you ever met me? Believe me, I know how she feels and it makes me sad that you would do that to someone who loves you as selflessly as she does." Kouga hung his head. He knew he had favoured Kagome over Ayame, and that even though he had denied remembering his promise, he knew he couldn't lie to either woman anymore.

"You know what you need to do now, don't you?" she asked in a voice that sounded like a plea. Kouga nodded. She grinned and hugged him. "Thank you, Kagome," he whispered. "You'll always have my support. You'll never forget me?" She smiled tenderly at him. As handsome and persistent a suitor as he had been, she just couldn't muster his feeling for her in return. She shook her head in response.

"I promise. Now, go to her, Kouga. She loves you, and I think you'll find that with time, you'll grow to love her even more than you ever thought possible." Kouga smiled a small smile, and, waving his goodbye, took off in a tornado of dust. Kagome let out the breath she'd been holding.

That had gone much better than she'd thought it would. Happy in the knowledge that she had successfully killed two birds with one stone, she turned to find herself face to face with Inuyasha. The lump in her throat returned and her breath caught. How much had he seen?

She chastised herself then for having so little faith in him. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she waited patiently for him to speak. His expression told her little; his face was unreadable.

Suddenly, he broke out in smiles, and grabbing her, spun her around in circles so her hair flared out behind her. Laughing, she assumed he heard the whole conversation, and threw her arms back and let the wind flow through her hair. When he put her down, he gripped her small face between both his clawed hands and kissed her eyes, nose, and chin. She giggled, and wrapped her arms around his chest, and squeezed him tight. "Inuyasha," she whispered, and he moved her head so his ears were near her lips. "I'm…awful hot," she breathed in a throaty voice, and he looked her in the eye.

She smiled and her hand slid inside his hakama. He grinned, and a chuckle escaped his lips before he grabbed her up and jumped into the nearest tree, where they made love for the rest of the afternoon.

Miroku witnessed the tryst between Inuyasha and Kagome, and felt a huge pang of jealousy. Why couldn't he and Sango get it together like that? Then he remembered; he was a pervert. That was right. _'Well,'_ he thought, his tented fingers twitching, _'no time like the present.'_ He turned and went back to try his hand for Sango's heart once again, a perverted little grin on his face.

Sesshoumaru walked through the dense forest, Jaken and Ah-Un following behind him, Rin safely ensconced in the dragon's saddle. Sesshoumaru sensed that the ancient one was near. Rounding a giant maple, he spotted Bokseno, and called out to him softly.

Bokseno, having spoken to Sesshoumaru before, smiled when he saw it was he who had come to visit. "Well, well, Sesshoumaru, back so soon? I'm afraid I have nothing new to tell you about your brother. I-" the ancient tree fell silent. Sesshoumaru looked…well, he didn't know. All he knew was that he'd never seen that particular expression on the young demon's face, even though they'd only spoken twice before.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. What was the old one thinking that he wasn't sharing?_ 'No matter,'_ he thought, _'I didn't come here to chat with this ancient log.'_

"Bokseno, I have come to ask a favour of you. I would appreciate it if I may have one of your boughs made into a sheath." Sesshoumaru braced himself for the inevitable.

"A sheath? Of course, young man, do you plan to sheathe your new sword, _Tokijin_? It's about time, I figured you word have sliced your sash and hakama off by now with that sharp blade. Ha ha, in fact, just the other day I was talking to old Myoga, and he said the same thing to me, and-" "Bokseno!" Sesshoumaru interrupted the old tree's tirade with a sharp bark. Bokseno fell silent. Sesshoumaru started again.

"The sheath is not for _Tokijin_; it is too wide at the tip to fit into one. This sheath is for a new sword." Sesshoumaru drew out of his sash Kagome's new sword. Bokseno was awed at its' beauty; it was long, and razor sharp, but he could tell that it was light, and therefore easy to wield. Bokseno was impressed. "Did Totosai forge this beauty?" he asked. "This looks like his handiwork."

"He did," Sesshoumaru conceded, nodding. Bokseno was quiet. Sesshoumaru had said the sword was new, but he knew for a fact that his old friend Totosai had long ago refused to make a new sword for the young lord, not since their altercation and the creation of the _Tokijin_, at least. The tree narrowed his knotted eyes.

"Who, then, young man, is this sword for? Not your brother, surely." Sesshoumaru chuckled. "No, it is definitely not for him. It is for his wench, the Lady Kagome." Sesshoumaru hoped that explanation would appease the old log, but, just his luck, it was not enough to satisfy Bokseno's curiosity.

"His wench? That's not funny, Sesshoumaru. You hate your brother. Why give his wench a sword when she would likely kill him before you do? Or have you changed your mind?"

Sesshoumaru had dreaded this question, which he knew the old tree was bound to get around to. "No, I have not changed my mind, Bokseno. I will kill Inuyasha. But I owe his wench a boon and have offered her my protection and loyalty as payment for my debt. This sword is a token of my loyalty to the lady in her generosity. So, you said you would grant me my request and give me one of your boughs?" Sesshoumaru hoped he had distracted Bokseno by reminding him of his earlier consent for the bough.

It worked. Bokseno coughed, and, embarrassed at his blunder, forgot about asking Sesshoumaru for any more details, such as what the boon owed entailed, exactly.

"Of course, young lord, you may have a bough. The one twenty feet up on the first branch should be to your liking." Sesshoumaru flew up to said branch, and carefully broke off the bough he wanted, making sure it was long enough to fit the blade. When he returned to the ground he nodded his thanks to Bokseno and moved out, making his way back through the dense forest.

Kagome awoke, and rubbed her eyes. She had lain in Inuyasha's arms all night, and now tried to extract herself without waking him. She finally managed it, and was about to creep out the door of the hut when his eye cracked open and he barked, "Where are you going, Kagome?" in the groggiest voice. She turned and smiled a secret smile, meant for him. "I'm going to the hot spring," she whispered, not wishing to wake the others. "Meet me there in an hour. Now go back to sleep; you'll need it." She waggled her eyebrows at him, then dashed out the door, giggling. He rolled over and closed his eyes. He didn't need to be told twice. Before he began to snore, he smiled.

She sprinted toward the local hot spring, hoping to be early enough to have it to herself. She was rewarded when she arrived to find the spring completely deserted. She quickly stripped and jumped in, wetting her hair and swimming beneath the water's surface, soaking up the heat. She broke the surface, and whipped her hair over her head, then relaxed against a boulder, letting the heat loosen her muscles.

She hoped Inuyasha would bring her soap and shampoo when he came; if not, she'd ask him to return for them, then undress him and bathe him when he got back…she moaned inwardly at the thought. She started when she heard a branch snap, then she sensed a very powerful youkai nearby. She reached out with her senses, straining to identify the demon. Extending her talents out further, she made out Sesshoumaru's energy signature, and sighed in relief. She was in no danger. Using her hands to squeegee the excess water off her arms and legs, she quickly wrapped a towel around herself (a towel being the one thing she hadn't forgotten to bring) and ran to find the demon Lord.

Sesshoumaru waited in the clearing. He knew she would come once she sensed him, and he could smell her approaching, sure enough. He sat down on a rock, facing away from her, one knee bent. He couldn't explain the sudden apprehension he felt; all he knew was that he wanted this to be over with, and quick.

Kagome burst through the underbrush, a smile on her face, her left hand waving at him, her right holding the knot in her towel tightly shut. He turned to face her, and felt his heart rate rapidly increase, but he strained to keep his face neutral.

"Sesshoumaru, what are you doing here? Where's Rin? Is she well? I hope she's been taking her medicine everyday like I told her," she babbled, feeling nervous just as suddenly as he.

He chuckled deep down in his chest, and favoured her with a small smile, which warmed her to see. "Lady, she is well; in fact she took the last of her medication this morning. She asks after you often, as well."

"I'm so glad," Kagome gushed, happy to hear the good news. Rin's surgery had gone off without a hitch, and Kagome had prayed that the little girl would recover fully under the watchful eyes of Jaken and Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru allowed his gaze to travel the length of her in the silence after her response. Her legs were long and lean, her waist tiny, her bust average, he supposed. And her scent…the Lady was in heat. He swallowed as he watched her hair drip rivulets of water down her shoulders and chest to funnel between her breasts, and he was overcome by a brief flash in his mind where he held her close, tore the towel from her, and licked her neck, and wherever else he wished, for she was his, his to own, his to mate…his to love.

He shook his head, and the vision disappeared. She was looking at him strangely, and he let his cold mask fall, hiding his embarrassment from her. He would try his best to block out her tempting scent. Looking down between his feet, he lifted a long box from the ground and, standing, presented it to her, bowing slightly.

"A token, my Lady, of my loyalty to you. Please accept this gift in gratitude."

Kagome was speechless once again; she seemed at a total loss for words all the time lately. Finally, she smiled and found her voice. "Why so formal, Sesshoumaru? We're all friends here." With that said, she accepted the package and kneeled on the ground, placing it before her. Opening the heavy lid, she stared at the contents, unsure what to make of it.

Inside lay a three-foot katana, sheathed in black lacquered magnolia, with a handle wrapped in red alternating with white leather. Tied around the hilt was a small leather thong, dyed red, white, yellow, and blue - Sesshoumaru's colours. She reached in and picked it up, amazed at how light it was, for such a long sword. As she pulled it from the sheath, three small characters in kanji caught her eye; her name was engraved in the blade.

She looked up at Sesshoumaru with something akin to shock in her eyes. He wasn't sure yet whether she liked it; he was almost starting to worry, she was so silent. Encouraging her, he said, "Go ahead, take it out, see how it handles."

Nodding dumbly, Kagome did as he bade her. She pointed it away from herself as the katana transformed before her eyes just like Inuyasha's did, only hers was so light it felt like a mere stick, not a steel sword. And, unlike _Tetsusaiga_, her sword was not shaped in an arc, but in a slight curve, with a tip very similar to that of a scimitar. She smiled at him, impressed.

"What can it do, Sesshoumaru? Do you know? Please tell me!"

At her enthusiasm, Sesshoumaru felt himself relax. Her happiness was a good sign. Positioning himself behind her, he placed his hand over hers to demonstrate the swords' abilities. He showed her how to flip it elegantly back into its sheath, like Inuyasha often did, and explained to her its healing properties, as well as its defensive properties. When she pulled it back out to admire it, she noticed how long it grew when it transformed; it was almost as long as _Tetsusaiga_. She waved it around playfully. "Unfortunately," he concluded, "I cannot teach you how to bring out the sword's ultimate power. Like my half-breed brother, that is something that you will have to discover within yourself. Although I am certain that my fang will take to you with no trouble."

Kagome stopped waving the sword around in a circle. "Your fang?" she asked, as if she hadn't heard him right. He nodded. She looked down at her sword. She seemed to think hard for a moment, then returned her gaze to his face. "Since it's your fang, would you like to name it?" she asked. Sesshoumaru was struck dumb. What was this human girl, dressed in nothing but a skimpy towel, doing asking him to name her gift? He shook his head in wonder.

"You never cease to amaze me, Lady. Very well, if it pleases you, I will name your sword. Meet me here in two days; by then I will have a name for your fang. Good day, my Lady." And, just like that, he left.

"Sesshoumaru, wait!" Kagome yelled, running to catch up with him. He paused and turned to watch her approach. She threw her arms around him, and whispered, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

He did not hug her back, her heady scent filling his sensitive nostrils, driving him wild inside, but he calmly answered, "You are most welcome, Lady." and when she let go, he once again took his leave. Beaming, Kagome ran back to the clearing where she had discarded the box, and placed the sword, re-sheathed, inside, and closed the lid firmly, having absolutely no idea of the torture she'd put him through. Tucking her prize under her arm, she ran back to the hot spring, hoping to return before Inuyasha discovered her missing.

Inuyasha rolled over once again, drool about to spill from his lips, when he felt something bite his face. Reflexively, he slapped himself, only to discover a very flat and very annoyed Myoga. "Don't you know it's rude to suck people's blood, Myoga?" he growled, still tired. Myoga popped back into his normal shape and started jumping up and down as if his tiny hakama was on fire. "Master Inuyasha! Your brother, Lord Sesshoumaru, meets with the Lady Kagome this day! I fear for her life if you do not hurry after her! I saw the look in his eyes, Master…your brother wants your mate!"

That last remark had Inuyasha up faster than stink on a skunk demon. "What?" he roared, waking the others with his shouts. He tore from the hut so quickly that the reed cover flew off and landed in three pieces in a ten-foot radius around the door. Sango and Miroku exchanged a worried glace. This did not bode well for a pleasant day.

Inuyasha's eyes began to flicker from normal gold to red and blue, his anger was so great. Hadn't Sesshoumaru promised Kagome his protection, _and nothing else_? Fortunately for Inuyasha, though his brother did indeed hate humans, she was no ordinary human. Sesshoumaru had excellent self-discipline, and even though Kagome's scent overshadowed her mating scent when she was in heat, he did not detect it during their meeting. This presented no consequence, but Inuyasha didn't know that.

Inuyasha skidded to a halt when he could just see Kagome and Sesshoumaru through the trees; she was hugging him! Inuyasha saw red; his brother was going to meet his maker today, but before he could make his presence known, Kagome released him and he left, without so much as a backward glance.

Even after Sesshoumaru was gone, Inuyasha's inner demon would not be contained; he followed her back to the hot spring and waited for her to get back in before he showed himself. She had just removed the towel, giving him a delicious view of her backside, when the wind shifted, and her scent hit him; his inner demon when nuts. The lust he felt in that instant nearly blinded him. He growled in anticipation, his anger toward her and his brother momentarily forgotten. He had one thought and one thought only: mate.

Kagome settled herself down again, and looked at the sun. How long was Inuyasha going to sleep, anyway? She was getting impatient. The sight of the hot spring reminded her of her earlier fantasy, and she sank down into the heat to continue her day dream. Her eyes flew open when she heard the bush across from her rustle, and Inuyasha stepped out from behind it, his chest heaving, his eyes flickering between gold and red. Kagome sat up, looking for her bag. Apparently he'd forgotten it. No matter, she'd have him anyway.

It was then that she noticed his silence and heavy breathing. He was either really mad, or…uh oh. He'd seen her with Sesshoumaru. Damn it! She had hoped to avoid a fight, but it looked like she was wrong. She pasted a fake smile on her face and beckoned him closer, hoping to steer and channel his anger into something more…productive.

Inuyasha refused to come any closer, but he growled his displeasure. Sighing, she stood up, baring herself to his gaze. His eye twitched... and remained gold for longer before lapsing back to red. She smiled seductively at him; she might just get her way here.

Sashaying up to him, she pressed her wet body along the length of him, and then kneeled before him. He watched her like a hawk, willing her to undo the knot in front of her face. Just as she was reaching for it with one hand, he noticed she reached for a long box nearby with the other, and his eyes strayed in that direction, before she looked up at him from under her eyelashes and whispered, "I saw Sesshoumaru today." He blinked, then backed away. The moment was gone. She sighed again. _'Well,'_ she thought, _'may as well get this all out before he jumps to conclusions and starts chopping down trees.'_

Still he said nothing, but his eyes stayed red now, and his hands were balled into permanent fists. She had to make it quick, she wanted him and in the worst way: _right now_!

"Before you get your fundoshi in a bunch, Sesshoumaru only came to give me this." And she opened the box, and held up the sword in front of him. He looked at it, then her. Kami, she smelled good…_'Keep your eye on the ball!'_ his mind screamed, even as his eyes strayed to her breasts, wet and shiny as they were…he couldn't take much more of this.

"He will be back soon with a name for it, but other than that, that's all that happened. You believe me, right? I did get rid of Kouga for you, remember. Why would I get with Sesshoumaru when I finally have you all to myself?" she wheedled, correctly guessing the nature of his anger: jealousy. He looked into her eyes, and saw no deceit there, only honesty. He grinned, but the red didn't fade from his eyes. Instead, he threw the katana back in the box and guided both of her hands to the knot in his hakama.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," he ground out, but to her surprise his voice was thick with lust, not anger. She undid the knot, then to his disappointment, stood up to face him. "Then what's wrong with you? Why are you going all demon on me if your not mad?" He laughed, a musical sound that she liked.

"Because, bitch, you're in heat, and your scent is driving my demon side wild." And he attacked her face with his own, bruising her lips in his intensity. She smiled under his barrage.

His hands were everywhere, this was what she wanted, dreamed about…she moaned, and drew away. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him back to the spring, and ripped his entire outfit off. He grinned at her impatience, then scooped her up and carried her in, while she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, where she could feel his length throbbing against her. He placed her against a boulder and pushed her back, so she was laying on its surface with her body exposed to his hungry eyes.

He ran his hands over her, and she writhed beneath him, and reached for him, and squeezed him in her hand. He growled, and rammed himself into her. She screamed in ecstasy, and moved against his rhythm, to drive him deeper within her. She found her release, but he had yet to feel his. She panted in the aftermath, and, still joined, sat up to kiss his lips so wantonly that he groaned out loud. Smiling, she shifted them, so she was on top this time. Pulling him out of her, she leaned over him to lick his nipples, then trailed her tongue down over his naval, leaving a hot path of saliva in her wake. He watched, fascinated, as she took him in her mouth, and briefly sucked him, while she trailed her fingernails up and down the insides of his thighs.

She was torturing him, and he loved it.

He doggedly held onto his seed right before he was about to go over the edge and she eased off, trailing her fingernails up and over his flat stomach and pecs. She continued to caress him, feasting her eyes on his perfect body. Leaning over his head, she ran her tongue around the inner edge of his ear, and he snared one of her nipples between his fangs, biting gently, then licking the small amount of blood he'd drawn. She blew into the moisture she'd left on his ear, and giggled when he flicked it, and tickled her nose. Returning to straddle his waist, she fondled herself as he watched, eventually drawing his hands to her breasts to join her.

When she'd had enough, she lowered herself, impaling him inside of her. Then she rode him, and soon he reversed their positions once again, so he could grind himself harder within her. Denying himself once again, he rode her until she climaxed, and screamed his name over and over, shuddering with her release. Since he still throbbed, he removed himself from her only long enough to turn her onto her stomach, and enter her from behind.

Kagome had wondered when he would get to this position; he was a dog demon, after all. Well, half demon anyway, although she wasn't going to complain.

This time he penetrated her slowly, driving himself in all the way before pulling out almost all the way, then thrusting deep once again. She moaned in pure pleasure, and flexed her inner muscles, tightening herself around him. He grasped her hips and dug his claws into her soft flesh, anchoring her as he increased the speed of his thrusts. This time, he exploded inside of her, and howled out loud like the dog demon he was with his release. Kagome felt him fill her, and the sensation brought on her own climax, her third this morning. Spent, he collapsed on top of her.

Panting, he pulled back her hair and began to lick her mating mark until both their breaths had slowed. Still joined, he pulled her to a standing position, holding her back tightly to his chest, where he proceeded to rinse the sweat from her person with the steamy water, which was waist high now that they'd abandoned their boulder. She lifted her arms and knotted her fists in his hair as he rinsed her breasts and belly of sweat and dirt, then rubbed her thighs down, occasionally slipping between her legs to wash there, as well. After a time, he pulled out of her, and she turned to face him, then returned the favour by rinsing him clean, spending extra time rinsing his "weapon", as she liked to call it.

He was beginning to throb again with her attention, but soon drew her hands into his own and kissed her tenderly. "Am I going to get pregnant?" she asked, and he smiled. She grinned in return, and threw her arms around his neck, and jumped up and down in her excitement. He laughed at her enthusiasm. "I take it this pleases you?" he asked, laughing still. She leaned her forehead against his and ran her tongue slowly over his fangs, and smiled. "Everything you do to me pleases me." she whispered, and then she said, " I love you, Inuyasha. I want to bear your pups more than anything in the world. I can't wait to see them when they come."

"They?" he said, running his hands down her ribcage. "How many do you want?" he asked jokingly.

"As many as you can give me, and you will give me what I want, won't you?" she asked, her eyes shiny in the steamy sunlight. His heart melted. Kami, how he loved her.

"Then you shall have as many pups as your heart desires. I grew up alone, and I don't want that for our pups."

"I love having a brother," Kagome sighed, "I would love to have a big family with you, Inuyasha."

Well, that's chapter four! This one was a joy to write, sigh...sometimes I impress even myself, lol. Review, my beloved chalamalas! Hahahahahahahaha! By the way, this would have been out earlier today, but I had to go to my sister's and see my niece and nephews, so, forgive the delay! Please? lol


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, my beloved readers! Chapter five here! Sorry it's so short, but we got major stuff comin' up after it, so sorry for the cliffy, but all it takes is one review to get me to update, since I hate leaving ya hangin'. P.S. Question: If you can guess where I going with this story, chapter after next is all yours! lol, have fun!

This one goes out to shikonprincess13 (maybe they will, maybe they won't!) and lizziekins, who has the most enthusiasm for this piece yet, besides strodgfrgf, anyway, thanks for your reviews, guys!

Disclaimer: This is so depressing. I own plot and Lady Amaya, nothing else. Sigh.

**Moonlight Shadow**

Sesshoumaru watched the happy scene before him with mild disgust. His gift had been so easily forgotten, tossed aside and discarded like an old toy. He had no doubt the woman would cherish it, but even he wouldn't admit to himself that her desertion of the weapon so soon after receiving it made him just a bit irritated. Why, he couldn't say, exactly. He had watched the entire tryst in silence, masking his scent from his brother as he watched Inuyasha ravage Kagome's body, almost angry when he realised that it should be him making love to her, not Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru blinked. _'Where did that come from?'_ he thought, and frowned, growling in the back of his throat. Although the woman was attractive, she was human. He loathed humans, for no other reason than the fact that they had been partly responsible for the death of the only person besides his father he had ever loved. His beloved mother, Amaya, first mate to the Inu no Taisho. Sesshoumaru hooded his eyes as he became lost in memory.

_"Sesshoumaru! Come and see!" his mother called over her shoulder, her twin ponytails flapping elegantly in the brisk wind. He always remembered his mother as he had last seen her well, regal and beautiful even in full-battle regalia. Her long white ponytails, fastened tightly with two blue irises, her blue armour, and her red cape came back to his mind's eye as vividly as if it had been yesterday, and not four centuries earlier._

_ He had run to his mother's side, being only a small pup, and always obedient of her commands. Golden eyes met their exact duplicates when mother and son looked at each other. The Inu no Taisho may have fathered the young boy, but Sesshoumaru had been born with the look of his mother. They shared the double cheek stripes, the crescent moon, and the ability to secrete poison from their claws at will._

_ Sesshoumaru also inherited his poison whip from his mother, who had been instructing him in its uses a few weeks prior. Amaya kneeled and smiled at her son, and whispered, "Look, to the west, my son, see the approaching storm? It is beautiful, no?"_

Sesshoumaru nodded, and leaned into the furry ruff that laced around the nape of her neck and fastened beneath both arms. His mother's armour was colourful, forged in a similar style to his father's, only without the spiky shoulder gear. Hers was much less overstated, and subtle in its practicality. Her blood-red cape fluttered behind her in the wind, the only noise they could hear besides the distant thunder.

Amaya pressed her magenta lips to her son's temple; he was unaware of her impending death, and she intended to keep it that way. Her clawed hand clenched her weapon of choice, a naginata passed down by the female generations of her family before her. The spear, which was called The Naginata no Chiyo, the Spear of a Thousand Generations, had been given to her upon her mother's death a century earlier. The spear's silk ties fluttered; the wind changed direction. The naginata pulsed in warning, for the human army approached. A general awaited Lady Amaya's orders in silence, his eyes blank as he witnessed the final moment between mother and son.

Amaya turned to face Sesshoumaru, her golden eyes sad, and filled with regret about what she would be missing when Sesshoumaru grew up without her. She couldn't help but smile, his childish features told her what he would look like as a young man; she was looking at her own reflection when she gazed into his tiny eyes.

"Sesshoumaru, I must leave you to go into battle. There has been an uprising and your father is unable to help me settle the dispute. His battle to the north of us is taking all his time and energy, he cannot spare either to help me. I want you to go with the General, here, and he will see to your safety. I will lead the troops into battle, and hopefully gain a little more territory for your father as a result."

Her eyes had clouded over when she finished, the thought of her beloved husband bringing up their son alone making her heart contract in agony. Sesshoumaru was her pride and joy, and she knew his father would cherish him as she did, but she couldn't help regretting her inevitable fate in a battle she already knew to be lost.

Sesshoumaru wondered why his mother was speaking to him so formally. He wanted to snuggle her fur ruff and hug her neck, smell her comforting lavender scent. He had no idea that a horde of human soldiers had been commandeered by his parents' bitterest enemy, the dragon Ryuukotsusei, and were being controlled through him to do his bidding. He was famous for his occasional manipulation of humans, often on a large scale such as this one, to bog down his opponent, and then, when his human resources and his enemy were exhausted, he would rush in for a quick kill, fresh and armed with the upper hand advantage.

Amaya knew this; she had seen it before, several times, and she was disgusted by the dragon's lack of honour and cowardice. But she also knew that without the Inu no Taisho, she was on her own, and she was determined to take Ryuukotsusei down with her if she possibly could.

Suddenly, she held Sesshoumaru to her chest and hugged him, dropping her naginata and whispering, "I'll always love you, my darling Sesshoumaru. Don't ever forget that your mother loves you." Just as suddenly, she shoved him away, and, picking up the Naginata no Chiyo, she walked away, into the storm. He watched as the General lead him in the opposite direction, tears in his molten eyes as his mother simply walked out of his life, to meet death.

He was in shock when he saw his mother transform into her demon dog form and attempt to leap over the entire human army, only to be shot down halfway, and butchered to within an inch of her life, even as she flattened the soldiers who tried so hard to subdue her. The General had stopped, taking in the battle, shaking his head in defeat. The Lady was a formidable warrior, but she was being overwhelmed. When Ryuukotsusei finally made an appearance, her own armies were depleted and the Lady herself was dying.

Sesshoumaru watched in horror as the human horde tied his mother down, and held her still as Ryuukotsusei ripped out her throat, and proceeded to savagely tear her body to pieces.

She never knew that Sesshoumaru had witnessed the whole thing.

Sesshoumaru came back to the present with a growl. His father had raised him after that, and had schooled him in the arts of battle and self-discipline. The one thing he could not teach Sesshoumaru was compassion for humans, for Sesshoumaru refused to accept such ridiculous notions when he himself had witnessed their part in the execution of his mother. The Inu no Taisho had taken on Ryuukotsusei two centuries after the death of his first mate, and only after many attempts during those two centuries had he finally managed to seal the dragon away with his claw, which was the best he could do, wounded as he was.

Sesshoumaru and his father had mourned the Lady Amaya's death for many years, and only a few years before he finally subdued Ryuukotsusei did the Inu no Taisho fall in love again, this time with a human woman. Inuyasha had been the result of his father's union with the Lady Izayoi, whom Sesshoumaru had never met.

In fact, the night of Inuyasha's birth was the night of his father's death, and Sesshoumaru's hatred toward Izayoi for being partly to blame for the Dog General's death had, over the years, transferred to Inuyasha, being half-human himself. Though Sesshoumaru knew it was not Inuyasha's choice to have human blood, and that he was endeavouring to change that fact, it did not change Sesshoumaru's irrational notion that humans were the enemy and were to be exterminated and avoided when at all possible.

Which was why he sometimes still found himself pondering his relationship with Rin, and now the miko, Kagome. Was he going soft? Or was he his father's son, after all, and his lust for human companionship beginning to make itself known? He didn't know, and all this thinking was giving him a headache. He was attracted to the miko, that much was obvious even to him, as much as he disgusted himself for it, and he humoured Rin, if only for her cuteness and ability to keep Jaken occupied when he wanted to be alone. But was he really as abhorrent of humans as he thought he was? He wasn't sure anymore.

He lost his train of thought when the sound of his brother approaching broke his reverie. Both Inuyasha and Kagome were dressed, having finished mating in the hot spring, and coming his way. He slipped away silently and resolved to sort out his thoughts when he could think clearly again.

Kagome touched the mating mark on her neck absently, and a serene smile had settled on her face. Despite her outward appearance, her mind was racing. There was another youkai in the area, and she knew who it was. He had been watching her and Inuyasha mate, and at first it had puzzled her when he hadn't attacked, but simply observed. She knew then that it had been Sesshoumaru, for he was the only youkai around who could even attempt to mask his aura from others, but her miko powers had sensed him anyway.

She had a sinking feeling that she might have another "Koga" situation on her hands, and that Inuyasha wouldn't be happy when she voiced her suspicions. She considered dealing with Sesshoumaru alone, but knew Inuyasha would hate that and resent her excluding him, now that they were mates. Of course, she could be giving herself too much credit and be totally wrong about Sesshoumaru's reasons for watching. He may have just wanted to see for himself that she and Inuyasha were together, but then why would he stay after he'd seen what he'd come to see?

This was the reason for the tightening hand Kagome felt around her heart. She had an awful premonition that the brothers would come to blows, and that one wouldn't be walking away from the fight. If she hated anything it was when people fought over her, and she didn't want anyone's death on her conscience. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way to satisfy both brothers…but how? She would have to feel Sesshoumaru out first, before she decided on her next move.

Inuyasha stole sidelong glances at his woman from time to time as they strolled hand in hand back to Kaede's, his mate's face a calm mask of satisfaction. He himself was more than satisfied with their encounter, and hoped to do it again soon, maybe tonight…but he'd think about that later. He was sure Kagome wouldn't refuse him, but if she did, he would just have to persuade her, and he was more than up to the task; he relished it.

When he looked at her again, she seemed to be lost inside herself, and he wondered what she was thinking about. They walked past the spot Sesshoumaru had been standing only moments before, and the blades of grass were still popping up. Inuyasha frowned. Had someone been watching them? He sniffed the air lightly, not wishing to arouse his mate's suspicions, which unknown to him were already aroused, but he smelled nothing out of the ordinary.

He quickly glanced over his shoulder; the hot spring was perfectly visible from here. Something had been watching, that was for certain, and they had to have masked their scent, or he would have smelled them. Kagome's senses were even sharper than his when it came to detecting youkai with her powers, and she would have told him if she'd sensed anything, wouldn't she? She'd never said a word about it…would she have any reason to keep her knowledge from him? Then, like lightening, a thought struck him. Did Kagome love someone else?

No, he immediately concluded, if she did she wouldn't be so happy about her pregnancy and starting a family with him. He strained to remember every word of their previous conversation. She loved him, she'd told him it was so; had he told her he loved her back? He thought he did, but he couldn't be sure. _'Oh well,'_ he thought, _'there'll be plenty of opportunities to tell her my feelings; we're mates, after all.'_ Tightening his grip on her hand, he smiled at her and they walked into the sunlight that shone at the edge of the _Inuyasha no Mori_.

Two days after, Sesshoumaru returned to Kaede's village, looking for Lady Kagome. He followed her scent to a deserted clearing in the _Inuyasha no Mori_, where she was alone and apparently waiting for him. She sensed him coming and turned to give him a bright smile. "Hey Sesshoumaru! Have you thought of a name yet?" At first he ignored her, and took in his surroundings.

"Inuyasha's not here, if that's who you're looking for," she said, voicing his thoughts. "Of course not," he responded, "he is never around when he should be protecting his mate." he drawled, an edge to his voice. It was then that he finally met her gaze.

Kagome's cheeks were aflame, as he anticipated they would be. "So, you were there. I thought I sensed your aura." she paused, then seemed to get angry. "Why were you watching us, anyway?" she demanded, crossing her arms and letting her sword clatter to the ground.

Sesshoumaru watched it land before answering, "The _hanyou_'s guard was down when you were mating, Lady, and he did not sense me. Since I have pledged my loyalty to you, I assumed he would not object if he knew I was watching his back, if only for your sake."

"No, I don't suppose he would, even if it was you doing the watching," she replied, unable to face him just yet. Suddenly Sesshoumaru remembered her first question. What was it about this woman that made him forget himself?

"_Dokkasou-sada_."

"What?" Kagome asked, looking up at him, momentarily forgetting her embarrassment.

"I will not repeat myself again. I have named your sword _Dokkasou-sada_." He tucked his hands inside his sleeves in a very Inuyasha-like fashion.

"_Dokkasou-sada_," Kagome repeated, trying the name out. _Pure Poison_. She liked it; it fit her sword admirably. She knew of an engraver in the village, she would ask him to put it on the blade. She retrieved the sword from where she had dropped it, and unsheathed the light katana. She smiled. "I like it." she said, and started flapping it around.

Sesshoumaru smirked at her response. "I had a feeling you would." he whispered, then asked, "Are you ready to begin your instructions?"

Two weeks later, Kagome and Kaede were behind the hut gathering herbs. Kagome had told Sango and Kaede of her pregnancy, and was asking Kaede of any herbs she knew of that had folic acid in them, because in her time she had heard it was good for the baby, when suddenly she sensed a foreboding, evil aura; it was Naraku, she was sure of it.

She bit her lip as she watched Inuyasha fly by, a red blur to her human eyes. She was worried for him; would Naraku use her as leverage against Inuyasha if he could capture her, for he would smell the change in her scent? She decided not to give him that chance, and ran back to the hut to retrieve her new sword, which Sesshoumaru had only begun to teach her to use.

She grasped the crescent moon charm around her neck and felt it warm slightly. It wouldn't hurt to have Sesshoumaru nearby, just in case they needed back-up. Kagome knew Inuyasha would resent this, but she didn't want him to die, and she knew that, since Sesshoumaru had pledged her his loyalty, as much as he hated his brother, for her sake he would keep him alive, for Sesshoumaru planned to be Inuyasha's killer, and would let no one else stand in the way of his goal.

As much as Kagome disagreed with Sesshoumaru on this, which was often, for she was vainly trying to understand the brothers' hatred for each other, she had to put up with his irrational ideas, for now anyway. She would continue to work on him, and see if she could use his loyalty to her to turn the tables in her favour. Until then, though, they had Naraku to deal with, and Kagome had a sinking feeling that they weren't going to make it through unscathed.

Entering the hut, she grabbed up _Dokkasou-sada_, her bow, and her arrows and ran back out in time to hear Shippo scream in terror. She ran toward where she had last seen Inuyasha head to - the Sacred Tree.

Well, like I said before, sorry 'bout the cliffy, but all it takes is one...So, review! Review and I will reward the first person with a chapter dedicated soley to them! This thing is already mostly written, so it'll only take me a few minutes to update, people! Yay! You know what to do, la la la...!


	6. Chapter 6

Well, people, we've come this far - time to kick some demon butt! No lemons this chapter...I don't think. Anyway, no one has answered my question yet, so, BrokenWingedAngel16 and and midnights-dawn, this one is all for you! P.S. Sorry I didn't update earlier, I had to work, and I felt like shit the entire time I was there, but I'm better now!

Disclaimer: Oh, screw off. I know what I do and don't own by now, don't you?

**Moonlight Shadow**

Sure enough, under the Sacred Tree stood Naraku, with all his surviving incarnations in tow. Kagura looked out of place, and hovered far away, as if she was trying to remove herself from the master she hated.

"Are you finally ready to die, Naraku?" Inuyasha yelled, unsheathing his sword. A blur to his left distracted him momentarily, but soon the rest of his group caught up and fanned out around him, Kagome arriving last, out of breath from all the stairs. Naraku chuckled, and holding out his palm, revealed an almost complete _Shikon no Tama_, black with malice and hate.

"No, I don't think I have to worry about the outcome of this encounter, Inuyasha. All I need to complete the jewel are your wench's shards, that stinky wolf's, and Kohaku's, and then it will be mine to do with as I please." He smiled a slow, evil smile.

Suddenly, the smile faded from his face. His nose twitched, and then the smile returned, a hundred watts more evil than before. His eyes stared at Kagome so intensely she thought he would bore a pair of holes right through her soul. She cringed, knowing what made him smile, and dreading what he would do with the information.

Then, as Sango was about to ask Kagome what was going on, Sesshoumaru proudly strode out of the forest, a self-satisfied smirk gracing his beautiful face.

"Naraku," he drawled, wiping the smile from Naraku's face for only a second. He chuckled under his breath, "Come to help, Sesshoumaru? Surely you wouldn't stoop so low as to assist your bastard half-brother and a few puny humans-" here Inuyasha cut him off, yelling, "Who have defeated you more times than you can count, I might add!" and earning a glare from Sesshoumaru.

"I may not like humans," Sesshoumaru growled, "but don't forget you were once human yourself, half-breed, which makes me disgust you even more. You are not worthy to become full-demon." And with this last remark, he drew _Tokijin_ with a long, drawn-out rustle of silk from his waist. His eyes strayed to Kagome, whom he nodded to. She quickly slung her sword over her back with her quiver of arrows and held her bow ready.

Naraku smirked at this. Did the wench really believe she could contribute anything to his defeat? If he was worried about anyone, it was Sesshoumaru himself, for he had it in him to defeat Naraku, and Naraku feared him greatly, though in his pride he'd never show it. He watched as the girl's sword, along with Inuyasha's and Sesshoumaru's, began to glow.

So, the great lord had given her a sword, eh? Naraku pondered ways to use her weapon, plus her delicate condition, to his own advantage, though he didn't dwell on it for long.

Miroku and Sango each took up a position near a dog-demon, while Shippo hovered in the background, waiting. Kagome between them, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru exchanged a glance, which seemed to say, _'Nothing's changed between us because of the girl,'_ and in their unspoken agreement moved to defend her if necessary.

Upon seeing their gestures, Naraku threw back his head and laughed; they thought they could defeat him? Well, he had an ace in the hole, and her name was Kikyou.

The Previous Night

Naraku, when he had heard about Kikyou's second death, at the hands of the real Inuyasha this time, disguised himself as Lady Kaede, and wandered into the Shrine, looking for all intents and purposes as if he were going to pray at Kikyou's gravesite. Kneeling there, and with Kanna keeping watch, he began to dig. Soon, he'd removed the ashes, and squirreled the urn away in his kimono. Then, refilling the hole and straightening the flowers set there by the real Kaede, who remained asleep in her hut, he stole away, taking Kanna with him.  
Back at his castle, he had removed a shard from the jewel and placed it in Kikyou's ashes; seeing her once again, reformed with real flesh and not clay, he felt hatred for her. But, she was now his to control, for she was soulless, and therefore empty of all emotion. Whether or not she survived the upcoming ordeal mattered little; either way he would dispose of her in his own way if she managed to survive.

Naraku felt very clever for bringing Kikyou back from the netherworld for a second time; though her first resurrection had had nothing to do with him, her second would benefit him and him alone, for right now, as he traded insults with his enemies, he decided to let them in on his little secret. Whether or not they believed him was of no consequence, for they would know the truth soon enough.

"What's so funny, Naraku? Having regrets about facing us personally?" Inuyasha taunted, willing _Tetsusaiga_ to turn red. Having defeated so many others, he knew he was a member of a formidable group of fighters, and even though he resented it, Sesshoumaru's presence was a bonus, for his power was near limitless. They were destined to walk away victorious today, he just knew it.

Naraku stopped laughing and twirled a finger through his greasy hair in what everyone opposite him thought was a rather girlish fashion. "Oh, nothing at all, I was just thinking about how surprised you'll be when a friend of mine shows up with your ward, Lord Sesshoumaru. But you, Inuyasha, I really think that you will get the biggest surprise of all when she does."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha's guts sank at this news. He couldn't have, not when they'd just gotten to know each other on an intimate level…_ That bastard!'_ Inuyasha fumed, while Kagome thought, _'No, not again, please, not her…'_

Sesshoumaru's eyes flicked past everyone that made up the group one by one, silently sizing up their abilities and trying to determine their effectiveness in the upcoming battle. The monk and the slayer were competent enough, he supposed, but he knew Inuyasha and himself would generate the real strength. And Kagome…well, Kagome was good with her arrows, but her powers were so raw and inexperienced that he doubted she could effectively use them unless her life became threatened, and he had no intention of letting things come to that.

Secondly, he had only just begun to instruct her in proper swordsmanship, and she was progressing beautifully under his tutelage, but was nowhere near the expert she could be, and they all knew it. She was the wild card; everyone else was a sure thing, and secretly Sesshoumaru was worried that Naraku realised this and was just waiting for an opportune time to put Kagome's weaknesses to good use. Not to mention the change in her scent…Sesshoumaru's worry was indeed extreme for one so poised.

Kirara growled loudly, and all turned to face where the firecat was looking. Sure enough, through the bushes to the right of the tree in the clearing where Inuyasha had been pinned for so long, came Jaken, mumbling and grumbling, followed by Rin, who was silent, but lit up when she saw everyone; following her came no one other than Kikyou, once again returned from the dead.

Kikyou had an arrow pointed in the back of Rin's neck, and she drew blood from the child as she roughly used the weapon to push the child to the ground, then pointed and drew her bow at Jaken, who needed no further encouragement to follow suit. Rin whimpered in fear.

Sesshoumaru felt his heart turn to stone. Naraku had once again kidnapped his vassals; once again he had been made a fool of, his honour slighted. This time, Naraku had gone too far. There would be no mercy from the stoic Lord until that disgusting half-demon was cold and dead.

Inuyasha blinked in surprise. Naraku had been right; he hadn't really been expecting to see her again, but there she was, her eyes emotionless, soulless. He heard Kagome gasp in terror at the sight; his heart twisted in fear for her. He had finished Kikyou for Kagome's sake once, and it had nearly torn him apart. Could he do it again? Suddenly Inuyasha felt that the odds were no longer in his favour.

Sango and Miroku exchanged a look. Hadn't Inuyasha gotten rid of Kikyou just recently? Why was she here? Questions that remained unanswered flew around inside Miroku's head. It was all too much to grasp; he hoped they could handle it.

Sango couldn't believe what she was seeing. That bitch was back _again_! Her heart went out immediately to Kagome, whom she knew would be feeling the most pain at this moment. She looked at her best friends' back, and silently willed her strength.

Kagome's mind was blank; she'd forgotten momentarily why she was here and even where here was. Then, in an instant, all the events leading up to this moment flashed before her eyes, everything that had happened while searching for the jewel shards when she first came back in time to Feudal Japan and met all of her friends, her friends who were more dear to her than even her friends in her own time, friends who were like a second family to her.

She felt her eyes grow moist. And here in front of her was the scourge of her time in the past, the one woman who had the power to make her feel smaller than a the lowest being on earth with a simple glance from dead eyes. The woman she was reincarnated from; the woman who had up until recently held a piece of her soul. The woman who Kagome simultaneously envied and loathed, pitied and despised. The woman who was a constant sore spot between Inuyasha and herself.

At that instant, Kikyou looked at Kagome, and what she saw in those soulless eyes scared the living daylights out of her. They were dead; even more so than they had been when she was but made of clay and graveside soil. Though from here, Kagome was very quick to note, she looked just as human as any of them, as if she was made of real flesh and bone, as if she was warm and soft to the touch and no longer cold and hard.

Kagome couldn't help it; she looked away first, frightened. She felt her fearlessness ebb away, to be replaced with a severe sense of foreboding. She gripped her arrows tightly, and readied herself to notch them. She didn't know what Naraku had planned when he brought Kikyou back for the second time, but she had every intention of finding out, and killing him when she did.

She hardened her face, and remembered what Sesshoumaru had once told her: _'Don't let down your guard, don't let the enemy in. The more confident you are, the less confident your opponent feels. Never let them see your fear.'_

Naraku watched with pure pleasure as Kikyou roughly herded the Lord's vassals into the clearing, then stood motionless, awaiting his next order. He absently rolled the near complete jewel around in his palm, watching it turn black with every stroke but not really seeing it, for his mind was elsewhere; he was almost ready to put his plan into action.

Though he hadn't counted on Sesshoumaru's presence, he wasn't too worried. _'Sesshoumaru may not know his own limit,'_ he thought happily, '_but I know mine, and it's greater than his, now that the jewel is almost whole.'_ All he had to do now to put his plan into action was get Kagome to fire one of her arrows at Kikyou, and everything would fall into place. All his careful planning was about to pay off. He chuckled, extremely pleased with his own cleverness. With a single thought, he looked at Kikyou and she nodded mutely, already following orders. _'Perfect,'_ he thought.

Inuyasha's eye twitched when Kikyou began to approach. He was so shocked upon seeing her that he hadn't uttered a word in what seemed like ages. Everyone held their breath as she came nearer, and he felt his gut flip over. Suddenly, she swerved at the last minute, and headed straight for…Kagome.

Kagome was as surprised as everyone else when she saw Kikyou turn toward her. She frowned, and drew back the bowstring. Whatever Naraku had planned was about to happen, and she would not go down without a fight. Her arrow began to glow, but only faintly.

She frowned deeper; that wasn't supposed to happen, why were her powers so weak, and why now, of all times? Was it because she was no longer a virgin? She hoped not. Kikyou stopped a good three feet in front of her, and raised her hands. Out of nowhere she produced a glowing red bow and arrow, and pulled back the string. She looked like a carbon copy of Kagome, only they were facing each other.

The red glow of Kikyou's bow was blindingly bright compared to Kagome's dull pink aura; she began to lose confidence in her ability, and her aura faded as she did so. Both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha reached out and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, giving her their support, even though it burned both of them to touch her.

Inuyasha's eyes began to flicker from gold to violet, and Sesshoumaru's began to turn red, then gold again. Her aura brightened a bit, but not near enough. Kikyou's bowstring creaked; she was readying to fire. Kagome made a split-second decision and released her arrow, her arm strained with the effort of holding the string taut. Naraku's eyes widened, along with his smile, as Kikyou was engulfed in white light that blinded even himself.

Everyone shut their eyes, then braced themselves for the shockwave that followed. Kikyou was sending out waves of pure energy, and Sesshoumaru had to hover above ground to keep from being killed. Inuyasha grabbed the branch of the nearest tree and hung from it, keeping his feet well off the ground. Kirara had taken off with Shippo and was banking in the air twenty feet above ground. Sango and Miroku were untouched, and Naraku had his barrier up. Kagura, Kanna, and Entei, the last of Naraku's minions, floated above, blinded but otherwise unharmed. When the light died down, everyone came back to earth, and Kikyou glowed still with an ethereal light. Kagome lay on the ground in front of her, motionless.

Kikyou opened her eyes; she saw all the people in front of her but she didn't recognise them right away. Inuyasha came back to her first; then the girl in front of her. She thought there was one other significant person who was missing, but couldn't think who…then, she felt it, Naraku's barrier was down and she immediately remembered him, and everything came rushing back.

All her memories from her two previous lives, the first in which she was living and the second in which she was the living dead, all of it came back, and she was overwhelmed by the emotions that flooded over her: anger, fear, anxiety, hatred, hopelessness, and strongest of all, regret. She took one look at Inuyasha and felt tears well in her eyes, for all the things she'd ever done and said to him, she regretted it all.

She took a step toward him, but suddenly her memory was wiped clean, a blank slate. Her heart glowed, and the shard that Naraku had placed there when he resurrected her began to turn black.

Her eyes glazed over, and she became emotionless once more. The glowing bow reappeared and she drew back the string, and aimed it at Kagome, who lay unconscious on the ground, her bow underneath her and her arrows spilling from her quiver onto the ground in disarray. Inuyasha began to run forward, and yelled, "Kikyou, no!" but she had already loosed the arrow.

Sesshoumaru felt his heart contract when he knew, even with his super-human speed, he would not reach Kagome in time to head off Kikyou's arrow, and that Inuyasha would not reach her either. He saw the despair in his brother's eyes as he tried to get to the woman he loved before the arrow did.

Neither of them made it; the arrow struck Kagome and another burst of light lit the clearing as bright as day, though the sun had dropped over an hour ago.

When the light faded, both demon and half-demon were astounded to see that Kagome was unharmed; her entire body was covered with a barrier that her sword, _Dokkasou-sada_, had erected. As they watched, the sword began to pulse, and when it did, Kikyou began to scream.

Naraku watched with growing anger as Kikyou's soul burst from her body, and began to flow back into Kagome's body, where it belonged. He clenched his fists. His plan wasn't working the way it was supposed to. He began to feel the rage take over him; he slowly began to transform. He would not lose, he could not. Not after he'd come so far and waited so patiently and planned so meticulously could he possibly fail at the last minute. It would not happen, but if it did, he was going to take every single one of these rotten bastards down with him, or die trying.

Kagome took a deep breath; then choked on it. She coughed, and in an instant Sesshoumaru was there, holding her hand. She looked up at him and for the first time saw what he had hidden from her for so long. His heart was on his sleeve and she could do nothing about it, and her heart clenched with the realisation.

Just as suddenly as he had appeared, Sesshoumaru was replaced by Inuyasha, who pulled her into his lap and hugged her to his chest, murmuring sweet words that were balm to her heart. Her thoughts for Sesshoumaru dissipated as she returned Inuyasha's embrace, but she was just as quickly thrust away, a reminder that the battle wasn't over yet.

Naraku had transformed, and he was angry, extremely angry. Kikyou lay dead on the ground once again, her eyes open and staring at nothing. Naraku lashed out and destroyed her body, but all Inuyasha did was cover his eyes with his bangs and wish Kikyou peace. Kagome smiled a sad smile for him, then looked at all her friends; they had a dirty hanyou to finish, and now was as good a time as any. Forming a line, they all prepared to give Naraku what had been a long time in coming.

All at once, they charged at the giant spider that was Naraku's true form, and simultaneously hit him with everything they had. Sango flung her _Hiraikotsu_ and took out the legs on Naraku's left side and all the legs on his right side upon its return. Then she thrust her sword deep into his neck.

Miroku pulled his strongest spell scrolls from within his robes and flung them in Naraku's face, burning him, and then plunged his staff into Naraku's head, before backing off and preparing to open the _Wind Tunnel_.

Inuyasha rained _Wind Scar_ after _Wind Scar_ on Naraku's back, while Sesshoumaru cleaved massive chunks of flesh away with _Tokijin's_ _Dragonstrike_.

Kagome watched as Kirara and Shippo spit fire at any part of Naraku they could reach. Slowly, she walked up to face Naraku, and whispered, "Burn in hell, asshole." She loaded her bow with three arrows and concentrated. Her aura was still dim, but it was much stronger than it had been, and she channelled all the energy she could muster until her arrows were blindingly bright, then she fired, hitting Naraku right between the eyes with one arrow, and in the heart with the other two, then, quickly loosed two more at Kagura, who had been hiding the baby, Naraku's true heart.

Kagura was caught off guard and didn't move in time; the arrows struck both her and the child through their hearts. There was a massive explosion as Naraku screamed in defeat.

When everyone could see again, all that remained of Naraku were his ashes, which quickly blew away in the wind. Sango screamed and wrapped her arms around Miroku, and planted a huge kiss on his lips which he eagerly returned, as his _Wind Tunnel_ closed up for the second time, unnoticed in his and Sango's bliss.

Kagome stood on shaky legs, then fells to her knees, exhausted. They'd done it; they'd finally achieved the impossible; they'd won! She began to smile, then cry tears of joy. Inuyasha, rubbing his eye because a spray of miasma had splattered him, gathered her in his arms and held her in his lap, whispering in her ear how proud he was of her and rubbing her belly. Kagome smiled and kissed him all over his face, a dazzling smile gracing her own lips.

Kirara roared and Shippo shouted with joy, tackling Kagome and Inuyasha when he and Kirara landed.

Sesshoumaru stood by himself off to the side, watching the others celebrate. Rin and Jaken stood quietly behind him, awaiting his orders. None came forth, though. He felt his heart die as Kagome shared her joy with his brother, whom he had grown tolerant of these last few weeks. He still wished to kill him, but he was in no hurry; and besides, the hanyou was happy, and so was the human. As much as he wanted her, Sesshoumaru would not stoop so low as to try to take her as his own. He would bide his time; if he was not meant to be in her life he was sure he would receive a sign that it was to be so.

Silently he turned and left the scene, his vassals following, his departure unnoticed until long after he'd gone.

Whew, that was intense! Sorry about my spaces, I haven't figured out how the page-break works, so bear with me. Yay for chapter six! What will happen next? Will Kagome purify the jewel? Will Sango and Miroku get it together? And, is this the last they've seen of Naraku? All will be revealed in due time, if not in the next chapter! grins Oh yeah, review, and I'll love you till the day you die. grins bigger


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, people, no reviews last chapter, so depressed! So, here's another. It's short, but meh, what can you do? No shout outs or deds, no one reviewed. Sigh.

Disclaimer. Me: Owns nothing. You: Owns nothing too! Yay! Me: Plot's mine! hissss

**Moonlight Shadow**

In the next few days, many things happened. Kagome had managed to purify all the shards Naraku had, and the one that had been in Kikyou. Kouga gave Kagome his shards, after asking her several times if she was sure she didn't want to be his woman, while Inuyasha barely managed to contain his anger at the audacious wolf's behaviour. The jewel was now missing only one shard, and that was Kohaku's. Sango knew what had to be done, and she became depressed whenever she thought of it. But Kagome was in no hurry; they would wait until Kohaku turned up before they would decide what to do with him. Sango was grateful to hear this and Miroku hugged her in support.

It was two weeks after Naraku's defeat that Miroku decided that today was the day. He made a small meal of fish and rice balls for breakfast and headed to Sango's sleeping bag, a gift from Kagome some months after her arrival in Feudal Japan.

Sango was still sleeping, it was early and he had been planning this for days. He set the food down and leaned over Sango, gently brushing his lips over her nose, both eyes, and finally, her lips. She twitched her nose, and ground her teeth, then turned her back to him.

He sighed.

So she was going to play hard to get, was she?

He finally decided to use his most tried-tested-and-true method to wake her up. He slid his hand over her backside and prepared himself for the slap and a shrieked, "Hentai!" that was sure to follow such indecent actions. But they never came. Sango rolled over, both eyes wide open, a smile on her face. Miroku almost felt suspicious. Sango never smiled when she was groped, not even when she asked for it.

He suddenly felt his life was in grave danger. But she only continued to smile. Quietly she asked, "What is it, Houshi-sama?" in a tone that had him going soft in his heart and hard under his robes.

Sango giggled at his silence. She had decided that she'd better accept her feelings for Miroku, since she'd denied them long enough. She was ready to admit her feelings to him, and last night Kagome had encouraged her to do just that during their wash in the hot spring, which, Kagome confided with a wink, was a very pleasant place to make love, should Sango ever feel the need for a private moment alone with the lecherous monk.

Miroku blinked and blurted, "I brought you breakfast," his voice cracking halfway through the sentence. She laughed louder; he was so cute when he was flustered.

"You did? How sweet of you, Houshi-sama. I am very hungry, thank you." She took a bite, and he smiled at her enthusiasm. Then she offered him a bite. When he held out his hand, she pushed it away. Dismayed, he frowned. She shook her head.

"Open your mouth," she said, and he complied eagerly. After she had popped a morsel of fish and rice in his mouth, she traced his lips with her fingers, then proceeded to lick them, very slowly. Miroku watched, fascinated, and hard as a rock. He sucked her next bite out of her fingers and her eyes widened slightly with surprise at his impatience, and his audacious sucking of her fingers.

She felt a heat begin to form deep in her belly, and she involuntarily contracted her inner muscles, the same ones she would flex around him when he was deep within her…her cheeks began to flame at this train of thought. Seeing her blush, Miroku could only guess what she was thinking, but if it was anything close to what he was thinking, he'd better hurry up and get her consent before he exploded.

With effort, he became serious. "Sango," he said, taking her hand in his, "I have something I want to ask you, something I think I've known for a long time now. I have given it much thought, and I would be honoured if you would consider becoming my wife. I love you, Sango, and only you." He began to slowly rub her hand between both of his, anxiously awaiting her answer.

Sango had suspected that this was what he would say, but she wasn't prepared for the overwhelming excitement she felt at actually hearing the words. She wanted nothing more in the world than what he was offering, except to find her brother, but she had to make sure of one thing before she accepted his offer.

"On one condition, Houshi-sama, I will marry you. And you know what that condition is, don't you?" she asked, staring him in the eye, one of hers half closed in a suspicious manner. Miroku beamed at her. He had been expecting this, and took it as a good sign. She was slightly taken aback at his grin.

"Of course, Sango, I will never cheat on you. A one woman man's what I want to be," he said, flinging his arm out dramatically in the air, "and even though there are one, two, three girls-" he pointed at various women in their range of vision, "-you are the only girl for me." He brought his forehead to rest against hers, and rubbed her nose with his own. She smiled, and threw her arms around him, satisfied with his answer. She moved her hands to the sides of his face and brought her lips to his in a sensuous, slow kiss, one he'd never received from her before. When they pulled apart, his eyes were wide.

She only winked. _'Well, well,'_ he thought, a smile returning to his lips, _'she's got more up her sleeve than I ever gave her credit for.'_ Then, Sango did something that surprised even herself.

"Come on," she whispered, grabbing his hand, "let's get out of here. I got an itch only you can scratch, Houshi-sama!" and she waggled her eyebrows at him. He laughed, then asked, "Do you now?" and she replied, "Uh-huh. And I know just the place…" and she dragged him toward the  
hot spring, a goofy smile on his face, a look of a hungry animal on hers.

At the campsite, Shippo and Kirara remained asleep, while Kagome and Inuyasha giggled to each other, and snuggled down further in Kagome's sleeping bag to share a little pleasure themselves, having witnessed the whole scene and realising how long they'd gone without each other's company. Sesshoumaru watched from nearby, then slipped silently away.

The last few days had been the best of Kagome's life. She held the jewel in her possession, and so far nothing had come after her to get it, but now that Naraku was gone, she expected all the lesser demons that had been in hiding because of Naraku would come out as soon as they heard of his demise. Though she was sure Inuyasha could handle them. He often said he worried about what he would do after they defeated Naraku, for he'd have no one to fight. Kagome only laughed at him and rubbed his soft ears.

Inuyasha had decided not to use the jewel to become full demon; Kagome had often told him she liked him as he was, and he intended to stay that way for her. When he told her she was so happy that she'd taken him to her time, checked to make sure her memory was correct and her family was away visiting cousins, and didn't let him out of bed for two days. They had been some of the best days he'd ever spent.

About a week after the battle, Kagome found herself alone, a rarity for her since she and Inuyasha had become mates, and her mind wandered back to the look on Sesshoumaru's face when she'd come to during the fight as it had several times since it happened. She knew Sesshoumaru felt something for her, and that she felt something in return; she loved him as she loved his brother, though she would never admit that out loud.

Sesshoumaru had been very good to her, and deserved to be loved, too. As she thought about him, her miko senses flared, as they often had these last few days. His power signature was easily recognisable, and she had memorized it, and felt it surge now. He was close…in fact, he was watching her. She felt excitement she couldn't contain rise within her. She jumped up from her seat on a boulder and ran toward him, hoping to speak with him about his absence and whether he planned to continue instructing her in the use of her new sword.

Sesshoumaru leaned against a tree, deep in thought. As much as he wanted to believe it, he couldn't deny to himself any longer that he loved the little miko, Kagome, like no one before her.

He felt insanely jealous of Inuyasha, though he'd yet to witness a fight between them, and hoped he wouldn't be waiting long, for he wanted to be there when Kagome needed comforting. He'd kept his distance this past week, hoping she would come to him, but he couldn't keep himself away for long, and was always around, whether he masked his presence or not. He abruptly ended his train of thought when he smelled her coming, then heard her crash through the shrubbery before coming to a halt in front of him, a smile plastered over her pretty face. Before he could stop himself, he whispered, "Kagome."

Her smile faded, and was replaced with a look that he could not describe. She flung her arms around him, and her pregnant scent wafted into his nose, and he found himself wishing that she smelled of his pup, and not his brother's. This time, he hugged her back, wrapping both arms around her. His left arm tingled; it was not fully healed, yet when he looked at it next, it was completely formed, an exact copy of his right arm, perfectly formed and healed completely. He realised later that Kagome's touch had infused him with her healing power and had quickly mended what would have taken another year for his body to accomplish.

When he released her, she blurted, "Why have you stayed away? I thought you wanted to keep teaching me…well, I'd hoped you still wanted to," she ended quietly, though he heard her nonetheless. She began to draw a square in the dirt with her toe, and she couldn't meet his gaze.

He took her by her upper arms and shook her gently. "Of course I'll still teach you, you are nowhere near skilled enough yet. And when I'm through with you, you'll be able to put the _hanyou_ to shame in a fight, Kagome." She gave him a look when he said _hanyou_ that made him mentally flinch. She didn't like that word, and he knew it, and felt guilty, but what was said could not be taken back, for he'd meant every word. She let it slide, this time.

"Good," she replied, heaving a sigh of relief. "I thought maybe you'd left for good, and it worried me. I have found a good friend in you Sesshoumaru, and I intend to keep you close." She smiled what he knew was a smile for his benefit alone. She'd seen his face, she knew what he felt; she was letting him down easily, but it was killing him. He wanted to run, to blot her image from his mind, but he knew he could never do that. He loved her too much, and he would take what she could offer, a friendship and nothing more. At least he would be able to see her whenever he wished. He would settle for that, if that was what she wished.

Well, come on people, review, I'm drowning in nothing here! I hope the page-breaks worked, still having problems with that. Sigh.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, it's me again! Chapter eight is here, woot!

Deds: To Kitsune's Lover, your review was the best (and longest) I've received so far, thank you! You know, your guess is the closest, and only one, so far, too. You are very close though; most of what you want will happen, if not all of it (wink). Oh what am I saying, of course it will! You almost scared me with your accuracy. Oh, by the way, do you know who sings the song? I'd love to know!

This chappie belongs solely to Kitsune Lover, and no one else! Hope you like it, Kitsune!

Disclaimer: Leave me alone.

**Moonlight Shadow**

Inuyasha was talking to the village carpenter. In the year and a half that the group had been returning here, he had become a living legend, and though some villagers were wary of him, most were still fearful, and refused to speak with him unless it was necessary. He found himself growing more irritated with every villager that ignored him, or sneered at him. Had he not provided this village with his protection every time a demon came to steal the jewel? Why, just yesterday a minor demon had threatened three small children in pursuit of the jewel and he had made short work of it, and a nearby building, telling the children to run or they would surely be eaten. Not one of their parents thanked him for his efforts, and he was feeling somewhat disgruntled. Today, his irritation was growing by leaps and bounds, and Kagome wasn't around to calm him with her touch, or a word. He balled his fists in frustration.

"I'm sorry," the carpenter was telling him, "I can't take any more apprentices this year. I have five as it is, and another would overload me. You are welcome to watch, Inuyasha, and learn from a distance…" The carpenter could see the boy's frustration, and decided to give him a break. He knew he'd hear about his foolish decision from his wife later, but decided that she could stuff her opinion where he wouldn't hear it.

"Look," he said, lowering his voice, "If you want to build a house for the girl, I'll supply you with material and oversee the construction when I can. That'll likely be after sunset, but I have a piece of advice for you: the next building you go into, look at it. See how it's put together, and remember it. Then, make me a drawing, and I'll help you design a hut for yourself. Alright, son?"

Inuyasha was dumbstruck; no one had ever called him son before, _no one_. After a moment, he smiled a grin so big the carpenter could have sworn his face would split in two. "Thank you, Haruko-sama, I won't forget your generosity. If you ever need anything, you call me, alright?" Inuyasha pumped the man's hand up and down vigorously, then walked away, happy again.

Haruko scratched his head and smiled to himself. The young buck was so eager to please his woman, it reminded him of when he was first married to his first wife, and he frowned as he thought of the shrew he was married to now. _'Yes,'_ he thought. He would help the lad, even if no one else would. Under the demon there was a fellow human, who had a compassionate heart, despite the rough exterior.  
br 

A few months passed, and Miroku and Sango's wedding was set for late fall. Kagome was four months along, but looked as if she were seven months. She had made a return trip home to buy bigger clothes, and her family had been ecstatic when they saw her and she told them the news. At first her grampa had been angry, and refused to speak to her, but he was undone when she began to cry and her mother had yelled at him. When she returned, Sesshoumaru was waiting for her.

"Hello, Sesshoumaru," she greeted him brightly. She found if she didn't greet him this way he was distant and thoughtful, but if she kept up the conversation, he was forced to listen or she would make a point of bringing his lack of interest to his attention. He smiled for her. She was huge!

"I was just going to the river to bathe. Care to escort me?" she asked, and he held out his arm.

"Such a gentleman," she teased, and he couldn't help but smile. A few yards from shore, they heard splashing, and the sound of several women bathing.

"Here's good," she said, and sent Sesshoumaru on his way with a little push. "I'll see you this afternoon," she called, reminding him of their daily sparring lesson. He disappeared through the bushes, but did not stray so far that the group of women were out of earshot.

Kagome put her things down on the shore, and waved to Sango when she spotted her. As Sango made her way to the shore to help Kagome down the bank, Kagome stripped and put on a white bathing robe, and shoved her shampoo in her pocket. As she did, she heard the women's usual comments as she entered the river, comments that grew nastier as the months progressed. They were often centred around that "dog-boy, Inuyasha", but sometimes they dragged her unborn child into it, and she would give them cold stares, and curtly remind them who held the jewel, and that she didn't appreciate such comments when everything she did was for their benefit.

Sango would glare at them, and usually the snide remarks would fade to silence, and everyone would continue bathing quietly. Today, though, was not going to be a good day. Just as Sango had lathered shampoo in Kagome's hair, Inuyasha came rushing through the bushes, flinging bits of leaves and dead sticks all over. All the women screamed and huddled together in fear, as he yelled, "Where is he? Where is that asshole? Come out, Naraku! Face me like a man!"

Kagome's brow wrinkled. What the hell was he talking about? Naraku was dead…wasn't he?

Sesshoumaru had the same thought as he watched from his position in a high tree. Was his brother losing his marbles? He chuckled, getting a mental image of his brother picking up marbles and falling on them, howling.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, and holding her robe closed waded her bulk toward shore. He was heaving, his breath coming in bursts, his eyes flickering red. He looked at her with a jaundiced eye, and growled, "Who are you, wench?"

Kagome blinked and stopped in her tracks. What was wrong with him? She had woken up next to him this morning in their hut that he had almost completed for her. She had kissed his mouth and he had passionately returned it and his words of love, whispering in her ear as his clawed hand wandered her girth, making the pup stretch out a foot that he playfully poked.

She began to get nervous. "Inuyasha, it's me, Kagome," she said, slowly approaching, "Your mate. What's wrong, sweetheart?" she hoped the endearment would bring him around, and his eyes flickered for a moment in recognition, then became focussed once more. He shook his head, his eyes returning to their normal molten gold. "Kagome?" he asked hesitantly. He dropped to the ground and began to rub his hands over his face. She rushed to his side, and rubbed his ears, cooing soothing words to him. When he had recovered, she took his hand. "Come on," she said, leading him away, "Let's go home."

The women watched, confused, then resumed their bath. Sango, however, climbed out and dried off quickly, hoping for once that Miroku was nearby so she could talk to him.

Sesshoumaru frowned. As amusing as his mental picture was, he felt concern for Inuyasha. His behaviour was certainly not normal. Falling from the tree to land gracefully on his feet, he followed Sango, quietly so as not to frighten the remaining women in the river.  
br 

When Kagome got Inuyasha home, she sat him down and began to make tea for him. Then a sud fell into the pot from her soapy hair, and she remembered that her hair was still wet and threw a towel on it, twisting it tight. She brought him a cup and sat down across from him. He took it and smiled.

She frowned. "Inuyasha?" she started.

"What? This is good," he said, gulping the tea.

She blinked. Did he remember what had happened? She asked him slowly, "Inuyasha? When did we kill Naraku?"

He whipped his head up to look at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked scornfully.

"Naraku's been dead for months, you know that. What kind of dumb question is that?" He felt as if she was insulting his intelligence. Did she think he was stupid? He knew he wasn't a genius, and he couldn't read, though Kagome had been teaching him recently. And hadn't he built this house, with only some help, by himself? Could an idiot do that? He was about to ask her that when he saw the worried look in her eyes.

He frowned. "Why do you ask, Kagome?" he was suspicious. It hit her then. He didn't remember what had happened. "No reason," she said, but added, "What's the last thing you remember doing today, sweetheart?"

He opened his mouth, then shut it with an audible click. Then he brightened. "I was working on the house silly, it's what I'm always doing now. What do you think of that beam over there? The one you said you liked exposed?" he began to go off on a different tangent, as he was wont to do. She breathed easier. Apparently his 'moment' had passed.

She smiled at him, then he seemed to notice her robe was wet…and transparent. '_When had that happened?'_ He wondered. _'Oh well,'_ he thought, and grabbed her up, heading for their bedroom. His nails and tools and tea lay forgotten where he had dropped them, and Kagome sighed in relief. This was the Inuyasha she knew.

As Inuyasha disrobed his woman, something tickled the back of his mind, something unpleasant that tried vainly to shove its way to the surface. There was a blank spot in his day, in fact there'd been several blank spots, beginning after the battle with Naraku. He had tried to cover this one up by telling her what he was pretty sure he had been doing when he tried to remember his day and found it a blank. He mentally shrugged, thinking it was just coincidental. He had no idea what was happening to him.  
br 

That afternoon, after Kagome managed to disentangle herself from her mate's grasp, she had returned to the river to finish her bath in solitude, for all the women were long since finished.

When she was done, she dried off, dressed, and went back to the house to get her sword. Her lesson with Sesshoumaru was soon, and she didn't like to be late.

When she walked out, Inuyasha was on the roof, and he waved to her, then continued to diligently nail shingles to the plywood. He had asked her to write down a list he dictated to her for materials he wanted her to get from her time for their house, nails being one of them. Inuyasha had some help from the carpenter, but was far from ever being one himself, and he wanted their house done before winter, so he got nails to make the job go faster.

Kagome shook her head. He sent her home at least once a week to buy more materials for the house, and she was at the hardware store so often that by now they knew her by name. He would often come with her, to carry the heavy things, and look at anything new he thought might look nice on their house, and make it himself, or with Haruko's help.

She waved back, and blew him a kiss. He smiled, but continued to work. She bounced away, that morning's incident already forgotten.

Sesshoumaru was waiting for her in the clearing next to the well, their usual spot. He greeted her with a nod, and removed his armour. Then, picking up _Tensaiga_, he said, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she rejoined and held _Dokkasou-sada_ out before her in the first stance he had taught her. They sparred for forty-five minutes before Sesshoumaru called a break. Kagome was exhausted, but she hid it well. They both sat on the edge of the well so Kagome could catch her breath. She was amazed by Sesshoumaru's endurance. He wasn't even sweating.

She opened a bottle of water and dumped half of it over her head, then shook out her hair. "Ahhh, that hits the spot," she moaned, rubbing water onto the back of her neck. Sesshoumaru felt his inner demon stir at the sight. He reluctantly drew his gaze away before she could see the red tint to his eyes.

He wanted to ask her about Inuyasha's outburst this morning, but decided he'd rather wait until she spoke of it. He turned to her.

"Your skill is improving," he said, and she smiled and thanked him for his compliment. "How could it not?" she asked. "With you as my teacher, I can do anything!" she laughed. He smiled back. She was so wonderful…he remembered what he was going to tell her, then cleared his throat.

"I am leaving tomorrow," he began, and was inwardly pleased when her head whipped around and she flung water droplets all over herself that he almost snickered. Almost.

"What? Why? Has something come up?" she asked, firing her questions at him point-blank. This time he chuckled out loud. "Yes, something has come up. It has come to my attention that there is to be an uprising in my lands if I continue to neglect my duties. I have not patrolled my borders since the battle with Naraku. I have been remiss in my duty, and I am honour-bound to clear up this…misunderstanding."

Her face fell. He regretted having to lie to her; there was no uprising. But he needed time away from her for a while. She was close to birthing her pup, and he didn't think he could bear to witness the product of his brother's efforts come into the world. He would return if she needed him, of course, he had promised her that.

Kagome absently rubbed her enormous belly. She supposed now would be a good time to end her lessons; Inuyasha had informed her that she would deliver within the next couple weeks, and she should probably take it easy now. But she didn't want to stop; she enjoyed Sesshoumaru's company too much.

"Well, if you have to leave I won't stop you. Just don't forget to come back once in a while, okay?" she asked. "I expect to resume my lessons after the baby comes. I want to lose all the extra weight I've gained." Sesshoumaru snorted. She'd barely gained any weight, but he replied,

"As you wish."

Getting up, he slung his armour over his shoulder and sheathed _Tensaiga_. _Tokijin_ pulsed once in deference to the powerful sword that rested next to it. Sesshoumaru turned to bid Kagome farewell, to find that she'd moved to stand directly in front of him.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru," she whispered, and reached her arms around him in a friendly hug. "For everything. You have no idea how much your friendship means to me." His eyes grew heavy. _'She still thinks of me as a friend? Oh, Kagome, if only you knew…'_ He returned the embrace and rested his chin on her head.

When she pulled away, she gazed into his molten eyes, and something came over her. An undeniable force seemed to pull her lips to rest against his. He closed his eyes; she followed suit. The kiss that followed was something so different and beautiful that Kagome felt herself become aroused, and Sesshoumaru could smell her excitement. He was busy fighting the demon, the side of him that demanded her body, her heart, her love, wanted it so desperately he was willing to get down on his knees before her and beg for it.

He began moving, until he backed her up to a tree, and began to explore her body with his hands, as she groaned in delight. Then, through the sounds of the forest, and the abrupt halt of a hammer hitting nails, a silence fell over the area. Sesshoumaru stopped what he was doing, frozen.

Kagome's eyes flew open; something was wrong. She quickly pulled away from Sesshoumaru, and whispering her regretful goodbye, she took off back down the path to the river. He clenched his fists.

Damn his brother! He burst through the bushes, his eyes red, jagged purple streaks marring his tanned face. Inuyasha's eyes swung about, searching. Suddenly, he was normal again, and growling at Sesshoumaru in a more normal, expected manner. Sesshoumaru frowned. What happened there? Inuyasha, realising where he was, grew confused. Why did he come here?

"Where's Kagome?" he demanded of his brother. Sesshoumaru pointed down the path, then turned and strode away.  
br 

Kagome jumped in the river upon reaching it. _'I have to wash his scent away,'_ she thought frantically. _'If Inuyasha smells him on me he won't let me continue my lessons!'_ Kagome shuddered in the freezing current. Her arrangement with Sesshoumaru was shaky as it was; Inuyasha still distrusted his brother. Not to mention their relationship. It had improved; they no longer tried to kill each other, but neither were they friendly, they barely managed to be civil, and only if in her presence. She scrubbed harder, then spotted her mate as she climbed the bank. She crossed her fingers; hoping he wouldn't force her to lie. She dreaded what was to come.

Ok, we'll see if the page-breaks work this time - oh, they are such a pain. Anyway, I love to hear from you great readers, if it weren't for you no one would be reading this (duh) so get back to me! Yay (does a happy dance, then leaves to bake sweet rolls, sigh, the life of a twenty-year-old-girl)


	9. Chapter 9

Ok, dudes! This is a big one! Hahaha.

Deds: This chapter is for my faithful, more-than-one-time reviewers, BrokenWingedAngel16, and strodgfrgf. Yes, I know, I have been neglecting Rin and Jaken, I'm sorry. They're just not very important to my plot, but you never know, they might make a comeback!

Disclaimer: You heard me. I said, "FRENCH FRIES!"

**Moonlight Shadow**

Sango searched all over for Miroku, finally locating him in the centre of town, assisting in the reconstruction of the community council building that had been wrecked by Inuyasha the other day. _'Inuyasha should be helping, that lazy bum,'_ she thought, then scolded herself. _'He's got his hands full with his own place, he really bit off more than he could chew, poor guy.'_

She waved at him and he dropped what he was doing, wiped his forehead, and came to speak with her. "Uhh, Sango…" he began, but she cut him off.

"Listen Miroku, something weird happened at the river just now." She came right to the point.

"Inuyasha showed up and he was looking for Naraku. I mean, even I was scared, and then he just snapped out of it, like a trance. Miroku, I'm worried. What if he does it again, and hurts someone? What if he's sick?"

She shuddered at the thought. In her mind, Inuyasha would remain as she had always known him: young, strong, arrogant, and practically indestructible. The thought of him getting sick was something she was unwilling to accept.

Miroku thought about what she'd said. He'd noticed it too, only it had been a few weeks ago, when he and Inuyasha had been on a hunt, and his friend had momentarily gone berserk. When he returned to his senses Inuyasha had made him promise not to tell anyone, especially Kagome. Miroku decided to break that promise now.

"This isn't the first time this has happened, Sango, and it likely won't be the last." He proceeded to tell her of his experience. She gasped when he finished. _'Oh no,'_ she thought, _'No, no, not when Kagome's so far along, not when they're just starting a life together…' _She covered her mouth with her hands.

Miroku brushed her cheek with his hand; he knew what she was thinking, he had already realised it. He sighed.

"Sango, darling, I hate to bring this up, but you're still in your bathing robe, and people are staring."

She turned so red he thought she could have passed for a tomato. Embarrassed, she ran back to their hut, and quickly changed. When her face had cooled, Sango headed to Inuyasha and Kagome's house.

She hoped she could catch Kagome alone; the news she had wasn't good, and she didn't want to scare Kagome when Inuyasha was around. She gathered her courage and marched solemnly to her best friend's hut. Upon reaching it, she discovered it was empty, but their bed was mussed. She sat down to wait.

When Inuyasha spotted Kagome she was climbing up the bank, her face, her neck, well, her entire body, pink, as if she had scrubbed herself unnecessarily hard. He frowned mentally; the frown on his face was nothing out of the ordinary to her.

"Having another bath?" he asked casually, and offered her a hand up. "Yeah." she replied, taking it. "I was all sweaty, and I never did finish what I'd started this morning, you know." She looked pointedly at him; he had the grace to blush.

Kagome put her clothes on silently as he watched her, his hands up his sleeves. His face was pensive, far away. She felt at a loss. What was she supposed to say to him? She wanted to take him back to her time, to be checked over by her doctor, whom she occasionally visited when she made her trips to the hardware store, but she had a feeling he would brush off her concern and refuse. That was the problem with him. He was always insisting he was fine when he wasn't, even when he had severe wounds he would insist, because he was "built differently".

She could hear his arrogant voice in her head saying just that, and she felt her eyes grow moist. She didn't want him to change, she loved him just as he was. But here he was changing before her very eyes and she was powerless to stop it.

She reached out and slipped a hand up his sleeve to take one of his hands. He looked into her eyes and felt his heart crumble. They were red and rimmed with the first vestiges of salty tears. He knew she was worried, he could smell it rolling off her. But what could he tell her? He knew she wasn't buying his claims to being alright, and that, lately, neither was he. Something was wrong, but he didn't want to tell her what.

When he had almost attacked Sesshoumaru a few minutes earlier, it had dawned on him, as soon as he'd become lucid again. The shock on his brother's face had made it all clear: he was sick, and it was all in his head. He couldn't remember what it was he did during his bouts of insanity, so he didn't think he'd hurt anybody - yet. But the tears in his mate's eyes sealed his decision. He would ask her for help, and do whatever she thought best.

Kagome was surprised when he grasped her hand tightly, almost desperately. She had expected to be turned away. Then, he pulled her close, and enfolded her within his arms, and began to stroke her hair, like he always did when he was worried, or scared. She felt her gut sink. Her Inuyasha wasn't putting on his brave front anymore…had he finally realised what she had feared?

Inuyasha decided now would be a good time to tell her of his suspicions. He sighed, and sat down on a nearby log, and pulled her down to sit with her back against his chest. She was so quiet, he thought he might go deaf from her silence. Finally, he began.

"Kagome, I know you know something weird has been going on lately. I didn't want to admit it, but I've been losing my memory, and I think I'm doing strange things - I'm not myself. I have been experiencing these lapses since our fight with Naraku. I haven't told anyone this, but when I stabbed him with _Tetsusaiga_, something flew into my eye, miasma I think. At first I thought nothing of it, but it's the only reason I can think of that would be causing my memory loss."

She turned to look into his eyes. He looked so sad, she felt her heart clench. An overwhelming desire to cure his ills made her grow warm.

"I still want you to see a doctor, sweetheart," she said, caressing his jaw in her hand. "Just to rule out any disease. I don't think I could stand to watch you die, and not be able to stop it." With these last words the tears began to flow from her, running in rivers down her still-damp face.

Inuyasha smiled, and hugged her tight. His heart swelled. So this was what it was like to be loved completely by a woman. "Whatever you wish, babe." he whispered, licking her lips and teeth when she parted them, letting him in, putting up no resistance at all.

Neither of them were prepared for the doctor's diagnosis.

Later that day both Inuyasha and Kagome returned to their house, only to find Sango asleep on the porch, in the swing Inuyasha had finished last week. Kagome smiled at her sleeping friend and shooed Inuyasha into the house, so she could speak to Sango privately. He "Feh'ed" and did as she asked. He had a roof to work on anyway.

Kagome sat on the edge of the swing and rubbed the spot between Sango's eyebrows, and Sango wrinkled up her nose, then brought her hand up to swat Kagome away. She laughed, and Sango woke up, rubbing her itchy nose, then she playfully punched Kagome in the arm.

"Ow, that hurt!"

"Yeah, well, wake me up like that again, and I won't be as gentle!"

"That _was_ supposed to be gentle! I'm going to be bruised for a month! Oh, my poor, beautiful, white skin!" Kagome wailed, and both girls broke out in laughter.

After they'd settled down, Sango moved over so Kagome could make herself comfortable on the swing. As she settled in, Inuyasha could be heard hammering shingles to the roof above them, and he was making quite a racket.

"I can't hear shit," Sango yelled, "Let's go somewhere else!"

"Ok!" Kagome yelled back. Taking Sango's hand, both women made a beeline for Sango and Miroku's house, a five-minute stroll away.

Sango and Miroku's house, complete now, was smaller than Inuyasha and Kagome's, and Miroku had had many people willing to help him, including Inuyasha, when he wasn't working on his own house. Inuyasha was taking so long because only Miroku had offered to help him, and Inuyasha only accepted occasionally. He wanted the house to be something he'd made with his own two hands, and none of the villagers, besides Haruko, had offered their help anyway.

Kagome and Sango, after making sure Miroku wasn't around, made themselves comfortable on the front step. Kagome got right to the point.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Sango?"

Sango sighed. She had been gung-ho to get this out before, but now she found she didn't want to open her mouth. Finally, she just blurted it out.

"Kagome, Inuyasha hasn't been himself. Miroku says that its been going on for a while now. Is he sick?"

Kagome was touched by the concern in her best friend's voice. She knew Sango and Inuyasha didn't always see eye to eye, but they revered each other as close allies and had made their admiration for each other's battle skills clear at the beginning of their friendship.

Kagome knew that out of all of their friends, Inuyasha considered Sango to be the most competent in a fight, and he'd relied heavily on her skills in the past to win those fights they often found themselves in. She also knew that Sango viewed Inuyasha as one her closest friends, someone she looked up to, even if she was loathe to admit it. In her mind he would always be arrogant, headstrong, and fearless, and she liked the feeling of his quick acceptance of her skills.

In truth, both were close contemporaries, even though they rarely shared any time alone with each other. Inuyasha understood about Sango's brother, and Sango understood what everyone else construed as Inuyasha's skewed sense of honour and logic.

Kagome smiled, but hung her head. "Yes, something is wrong," she said, and told Sango about her previous conversation with her mate. Sango nodded every once in a while, but her eyes were far away, deep in thought. When Kagome finished, Sango wrapped her arms around her friend in a warm hug, awkwardly reaching over Kagome's distended belly.

"Oh, Kagome, I hope he'll be alright," Sango whispered, but deep down, she didn't believe her own words.

Sesshoumaru stood in the same field as he had the day he had taken Kagome hostage, intent on forcing her to heal Rin's sickness, not really knowing whether or not she could, but glad that he had. Rin stood next to him now, he could feel her inquisitive little gaze latched onto his face. He put a hand to the top of her head and pulled her to rest against his thigh. Was it his imagination, or had she grown taller?

He felt what he thought could only be guilt rise within his heart, for he had been neglecting his vassals, not to mention his domain, for so long now that the changes in both were more noticeable to his absent-minded eyes. He looked at the field before him, but he wasn't seeing it; he was seeing her, hair blowing in the wind, and he realised that that had been the day he'd fallen in love with his brother's little miko.

He narrowed his eyes. _'Well, Father, are you happy? Seems we are not so different in our tastes after all,'_ he thought, and couldn't help the image of his mother's face passing before his mind's eye. _'No,'_ he thought, _'Mother's death was unavoidable, wasn't it? She made her choice, and it killed her. Mother...'_

He was brought out of his thoughts as Jaken hollered, "Get over here, you stupid beast!" at the two-headed dragon, AhUn, who refused to move from its spot in the grass. Sesshoumaru watched without humour as Jaken yanked once more, hard, on the beast's reins.

Snorting in irritation, AhUn lowered its heads as if to acquiesce, but as soon as the little kappa looked away, thinking he'd finally gotten his way, they whipped their heads back and sent the toad flying through the air, screaming his little head off. Rin began to giggle, then was outright laughing, rolling in the grass and holding her sides with the effort.

Looking away, Sesshoumaru let out a small smile. He didn't smile much while he was with his vassals; it made him approachable, something he wished to avoid. But his mirth was at Jaken's expense, so he let it linger a while longer.

Sighing, he mentally reviewed how much area in his lands needed patrolling, and figured he would have looked the whole domain over in a few more days. Finding everything peaceful, this patrol had gone without incident, and he was bored. As soon as he had seen to this duty, he would return to Kagome, and resume her lessons. If he was lucky, she will have had the pup by then and be more than ready to spar with him.

He flexed his claws in anticipation, then called, "Jaken! Prepare to leave, we are not yet finished our rounds." and walked away, anxious to get back to Musashi.

Kagome waited with Inuyasha in the doctor's office, her hand in his, while her other hand held a magazine about babies to her face. Inuyasha twitched in nervousness. He'd never seen a doctor before, and he didn't know what to expect. Kagome tightened her grip on his hand; he stopped fidgeting.

Suddenly, a door opened and the secretary called, "Higurashi, Kagome?" and Kagome threw down the magazine and hauled him into the examination room.

The secretary tried to lead Kagome to sit on the table when she stopped her. "Look, I made this appointment, but we're really here for my husband." She looked at Inuyasha, who reddened slightly under his cap. "Oh, that's fine. Sir, if you'll just hop up on the table, Dr. Ayame will be with you in a moment."

Kagome and Inuyasha glanced at each other. "What happened to Dr. Fushi?" Kagome quickly asked.

The secretary laughed. "Nothing, today is just his day off. Dr. Ayame is an intern here for the summer, a fourth year med student. She's painless, don't worry." And with that, she closed the door quietly behind her. Inuyasha sighed. "Well, at least we know her," he said, very glum. Kagome rubbed his arm, and smiled. "Who knew we'd run into a demon in my time? I wonder if she and Kouga are still together?"

Half an hour passed and Ayame had yet to make an appearance. Kagome sat in a chair, rubbing her tummy while Inuyasha paced back and forth in front of her, occasionally jumping back up on the table when he heard someone approaching their door, only to be disappointed when they faded or passed without anyone coming in.

Finally, after forty-five minutes and much grumbling, Ayame opened the door and smiled brightly upon seeing her patient. "About time! What took you so long?" Inuyasha demanded, hopping back up on the table. "Hello to you too, Inuyasha," she said, then went straight to Kagome and embraced her warmly. "Kagome, you look great! May I?" she asked, and Kagome nodded, and watched as Ayame put her ear next to Kagome's belly. "Demon pups grow faster than human babies, how far along are you?"

Kagome thought about it. "About five months, I guess."

Ayame stood back up, and smiled. "It'll be soon, in the next few days, I'd say. By the way, why are you guys here? Demons live a long time, but you shouldn't still be alive, let alone young, Kagome."

Kagome laughed. "I never told you, did I? When we met I was visiting the _Sengoku Jidai_. I wasn't born there, I was born in this time. There's a well on my property that connects this era with that one, and we travel through it all the time. I thought you looked more mature, Ayame! How old are you now, if you don't mind my asking? And how's Kouga?" Ayame laughed, "I'm one thousand twenty-three years old, and not a day older!"

Both women laughed, and Inuyasha coughed loudly be fore she could mention Kouga again, then raised his brows as if to say, "What about me?" when they looked to him. He was tired of being ignored in favour of their girlish reminiscing...and _Kouga_, yuck.

"Oh! I'm sorry, honey," Kagome said, taking his hand. "Ayame, we came today because Inuyasha is…sick. Tell her what's been happening, sweetheart."

Both women sat down and listened as Inuyasha recounted his symptoms since the battle with Naraku, with Kagome adding whatever he forgot mention in his explanation. Ayame nodded, then, as he progressed, began to lean forward in her seat, absorbed in what Inuyasha had to say. A frown formed on her face and grew deeper as he continued.

When he finished she began to jot down something on a piece of paper. When she was finished, she handed the paper to Kagome and said, "Take him to the hospital and give this to the receptionist in the Radiology Department. I want Inuyasha to have a CAT scan. If that proves inconclusive, I'll order an MRI. I'll call them right now and get you in today. I have a feeling this miasma has caused some major problems."

Both Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other, worried. Ayame got up and ushered them back to the waiting room, where she hugged them goodbye. Inuyasha stiffened when she hugged him; he could smell that dirty wolf Kouga all over her, but he didn't push her away. "Good luck, you guys," was all she said before moving on to her next appointment.

Kagome told Inuyasha to wait outside while she talked to the secretary, who called the hospital and arranged a one o' clock appointment for Inuyasha.

That afternoon, Kagome and Inuyasha were waiting once again for their names to be called in the Radiology Department of Tokyo General. Kagome was again reading a magazine about parenting and Inuyasha was fidgeting.

This place had even more smells than the doctor's office; he could smell the stench of blood from an operating room two floors below in Emergency, and from one floor below that wafted the stink of formaldehyde from the Morgue. There were a million other scents to sort through, and for a moment he thought he smelled…urine?

_'Gross,'_ he thought, before dismissing that and searching for anything else that was familiar. A new smell assaulted his nose, the smell of newborns. He had noticed this smell from Kagome recently, and it had been getting stronger since last night. He hoped she would have the pup soon. He needed something to take his mind off his own problems.

The nursery down the hall drew his attention, so when Kagome was so deeply absorbed in her magazine that she didn't notice him standing, he crept quietly to look through the windows at the babies. He smiled when he saw them. There were only three, but they were all sleeping, and one was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. It had tubes in its nose, and a machine beeped quietly next to it, it time to its heartbeat.

Inuyasha wondered why this baby was hooked up to a machine when the other two weren't; what was wrong with it? He read the wristband on the child's thin little hand. All it said was the name of the hospital and that the child was female. Inuyasha grew sad. Was the little girl sick, like him? He felt an overwhelming urge to touch the child, but could only rest his hand on the cold glass, and watch as her little chest rose and fell it time to the heart-lung machine.

Suddenly, Kagome's hand appeared and rested atop his on the glass, warm and comforting. She wrapped her other arm around his waist. "They're beautiful, aren't they? So small, so precious…" she whispered, moving her hand to rub her own swollen tummy. She had a feeling that her pup was going to be a strapping little devil, if the size of her gut was anything to go by. He nodded, then said, "Kagome? What's wrong with the little girl? Why doesn't she have a name?"

Kagome felt her heart melt. His tone of voice was so sad, she almost felt her own tears begin to rise.

"She was probably born too early," she replied, softly. "Some people don't name a child if it's not going to live very long. But not all babies born pre-mature die, Inuyasha."

He looked at her then, and she saw tears in his eyes. Upon seeing them, she herself was undone, and she hugged him hard, stroking his hair and cooing soft words in his ears. She didn't know why, but she suspected his lapse in composure was due to his reminder of his own mortality: the insanity that sporadically overtook his mind.

They were still holding each other like that when the receptionist called Inuyasha's name, and Kagome wondered absent-mindedly whose dumb idea it was to put the Maternity Wing next to the Radiology Department.

Sango rolled over, right into Miroku. He grunted, still sleepy, but she was too worried to sleep much. Miroku knew this, and had watched her pace in the night when she thought he was asleep.

He was just as worried as she was, but he was better at hiding it; Sango, however, couldn't seem to keep her emotions under control. Finally, frustrated with her constant anxiety, she rose and went out back to practice throwing _Hiraikotsu_. She hadn't used the boomerang in a while and it felt good to stretch her unused muscles again. What with her friends gone to the future, it was up to her and Miroku to protect the village, though any threats were minimal, since Kagome had the _Shikon Jewel_, and she was gone.

So, Sango practiced.

She practiced until noon, and even then she wouldn't come in.

When Miroku called that he was hungry for her cooking at suppertime she still refused to stop.

Finally, after midnight, she dropped, and Miroku carried her to their bed, and undressed her. She was so tired that she didn't even bother to resist, as she normally would. Although, she didn't resist much anymore, even to his most forward advances. He smiled.

She'd worn herself out today so she'd be able to sleep tonight. He crawled in next to her naked body and pulled her close. She mumbled what he thought was an "I love you" but it was muffled, and he smiled. Kissing her forehead, he held her tight. There was no need for words.

Inuyasha flinched as the machine whirred, clicked, and two red lasers lined up to intersect over his face. Kagome wasn't in the room, in fact wasn't allowed past the lead shields surrounding Radiology, because of the pup.

He looked at the small space around him, nothing but smooth white, he didn't even know what this thing around him was made of, but he began to feel claustrophobic. He shoved the panic down into his gut and held still like the technician told him to. The tech was another thing. When Inuyasha had seen that the exposure of his ears was unavoidable, he prepared himself for the questions he knew the man would ask.

When he gasped upon seeing them and asked, "Mister, what happened to your ears?" Inuyasha replied curtly that it was a birth defect and that he didn't want to speak any more about it. The tech shrugged, but continued to stare in fascination, until Inuyasha growled, then he didn't do it anymore.

Inuyasha asked him if he was done yet. "Not yet, sir. Hold still for just a few more minutes." Then the intercom clicked. Inuyasha heard a stat call from somewhere outside the department, something to do with O.R. Number Three, and Doctor Something-or-other.

He wished Kagome could be with him. She was probably reading that magazine again, he thought, and he wondered what was so interesting in a colourful wad of shiny paper. It didn't matter, he supposed. Finally, he was allowed to leave, and the tech told him to go wait with his wife, and that the doctor would be with them momentarily to explain the results.

When he came out Kagome wasn't in the waiting room. He looked down the hall, and she wasn't looking at the newborns, either. _'Where is she?'_ he thought, panicking. Then, he heard a toilet flush, and after a moment a door opened, and Kagome came out, smiling. She went straight to him.

He chuckled. "Had to go?" he asked.

She nodded. "Like a damn racehorse!" She was still drying her hands on her pants. "I swear, I have to go worse every time, and I only have a little to let out! It's ridiculous!" He laughed at her frustration. She had to pee so often lately that he didn't even wonder where she went anymore when they were at home and she would disappear for a while.

"So, how'd it go?" she asked. He grunted.

"That good, eh?" She smiled, taking his arm. They went back to the waiting room and sat down.

Kagome proceeded to fall asleep on Inuyasha's shoulder, and Inuyasha let his mind wander as stat calls and a television set screeched in the background and uniformed interns ran past, before he too succumbed to the boringness of the Radiology waiting room and fell asleep.

Sesshoumaru approached the house Inuyasha was three-quarters of the way through building, and stopped to listen. No one was home, the area was silent, and Inuyasha's tools and a pile of unopened shingles lay in the yard, discarded where his brother had dropped them. It was a wonder no one stole from him, the way he left his possessions lying about, Sesshoumaru thought.

Without knocking, he entered the house. Inside, it was dark, but his eyes quickly adjusted. It smelled of both Inuyasha and Kagome, but he concentrated on Kagome's scent. It had changed slightly; it smelled like…newborns.

_'Great,'_ he thought. _'she still hasn't birthed the pup. I had hoped she would have by now…'_ he frowned. Where was everyone, anyway?

He walked through what he thought must be a sitting room to the kitchen. He passed a set of stairs and wondered if their bedroom was up there. There were several rooms in the house; in fact, it was the largest house in the entire village, and it wasn't even finished yet. He promised himself he would go upstairs later and see for himself his brother's handy-work. From what he'd already seen, Inuyasha obviously knew what he was doing.

Sesshoumaru sat down at a table and made himself comfortable on one of the chairs. There was a pot and burner on the table, but the tea inside was cold. He drank it anyway.

Finally, he went upstairs. He followed his nose to their bedroom, and he opened the door.

Kagome had made the bed this morning before they left, but had flung her dirty clothes on a chair; she'd planned to do laundry at her mother's tomorrow. He could tell which side of the room belonged to his brother. It was messy, unkempt, and there were tools all over, and little metal things Sesshoumaru had never seen before. He eyed the basinet next to Kagome's side of the bed warily.

He opened the closet, not feeling the least bit nosy. He was a little more reluctant when he found a basket full of Kagome's skimpy underwear at the bottom. Behind everything, in the corner, lay _Tetsusaiga_, right alongside _Dokkasou-sada_. Sesshoumaru reached out, but didn't touch _Tetsusaiga_; instead he picked up _Dokkasou-sada_ and held it up.

The sword pulsed in recognition. Sesshoumaru smiled a little. His fang still knew him, and acknowledged him in greeting. It glowed slightly before returning to its normal state. Sheathing it, he put it away, and closed the closet, then left the house.

He would await his brother's return, though Inuyasha would know he'd been here, he scent was in the house now. He strode away, oblivious to the pair of slightly narrowed hunter's eyes that watched his retreat from the smaller house a short distance away across the meadow.

Kagome and Inuyasha jumped back through the well, he holding her tightly, she lost in her own thoughts. The doctor had found nothing wrong with Inuyasha; his CAT Scan had been completely normal. She wondered, then, what was causing his lapses in lucidity. She decided to forget about it for a while and just enjoy his company.

When they got back to the house it was dark, so Kagome didn't go see Sango like she planned; all the lights in their friends' house were out. She sighed.

Inuyasha hugged her close. "Still worried?" he asked.

Frankly, he was relieved that nothing showed up on the scan. All Kagome's worrying had been getting to him, and he hated the sensation in created in him.

She nodded, but her eyes were drooping shut, so, picking her up bridal-style, he carried her over the threshold of the house, and up the stairs to their room. When he got there though, his nose stopped him. The room smelled…off.

Kagome snored lightly in his arms as he thought about what he was smelling. It smelled faintly of…Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha frowned, and began to growl. He thought he'd been pretty lenient to allow his brother to continue to train and protect his Kagome, but he never intended to go so far as to be civil to him - not to his face, anyway - and the realisation that the very demon he was unfortunately related to had been standing in this room, their room…it made him unbelievably angry. So angry, that he laid Kagome down, and ran from the house, his eyes flashing red as he did so.

His nose immediately latched onto his brother's scent, and he followed it, all the way to the Western border, but lost it after entering Sesshoumaru's lands. _'Damn,'_ Inuyasha thought, _'He must have taken to the air from here. That bastard! Myoga was right, he wants Kagome, and I'll bet my last good nail that this whole training and protection deal has been a way for him to worm himself into her good graces! If he so much as touches her again…'_ his thoughts trailed off from there.

He suddenly remembered that he'd left Kagome all alone, asleep no less, and unable to defend herself. Well, he supposed she could, but he wouldn't feel right until he was by her side. Quickly, he returned to their home, hoping she was still safe.

Kagome had rolled over a few minutes after Inuyasha had fled, and cried out in pain. Waking up completely, she moaned Inuyasha's name aloud as the contraction stretched, and she curled into a fetal position to try to alleviate the pain.

When the pain finally subsided, she rolled out of bed and painstakingly made her way down the stairs, only to be hit with another contraction when she reached the bottom. _'Damn stairs,'_ she thought as she clenched her jaw.

She began to cry, it hurt so much. She tried to get up, but couldn't; her legs were cramped underneath her and she didn't have the strength left in her tired body to use the banister to pull herself up. Sighing in defeat, she called Inuyasha again, but when he didn't answer, she began to worry. Where was he?

Finally, after suffering two more contractions in a row, she grabbed her necklace and held it till she felt the little crescent moon grow warm; Sesshoumaru was coming.

She sighed in relief, and hoped Inuyasha wouldn't take it the wrong way that she'd summoned his brother when she was in trouble. By the time she'd crawled to the front door, she saw Sesshoumaru stride quickly across the meadow, her miko senses flaring momentarily at the vicinity of his jaki.

Sesshoumaru flew through the air, his rounds of the lands done for the day. Just as he turned to fly home, his entire person pulsed; Kagome was summoning him. He frowned; he had only been at their house a few hours earlier, where had she been?

He decided that didn't matter. The urgency of the summons increased, and he began to pulse more rapidly. The closer he got to her, the faster the pulsing became, until he was almost vibrating. When he put down in the meadow before the house, he saw her poke her head out the door. She was on the floor, crawling.

He began to run.

Whew, that was a huge bitch! I've given up on the page-break thing, it just wasn't working. It would make all the points-of-view much easier to understand, but...sigh. What can I say, I'm a dummy and can't figure something so simple out. Oh well. You know what do do, my beloved chalamalas!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey all! Didn't expect an update so soon? Well, guess what? I _think_ I'm almost done so...yay to me!

Deds:

Midnights-dawn: Thanks for your great reviews, here's what you wanted, hot off the press-err, my mind, I mean, lol.

smartgal2007: Your review was constructive and demanding. I like that! You'll get what you wish for, I promise (really, I just finished the hottest love scene, oh yeah I'm good) so be prepared to be mushed out!

Disclaimer: "Do we sell...French...Fries?"

**Moonlight Shadow**

Kagome had never been so happy to see Sesshoumaru, and she reached out to him as he took the steps up the porch two at a time. Kneeling before her, he asked, "Lady, what's wrong?"

She began to sniffle and said, "The pup…it's coming. Please, Sesshoumaru…take me to Sango."

Sesshoumaru nodded, and picked her up gently. He carried her across the meadow, and following his nose, arrived at the demon slayer's door. When he kicked it down, two sleepy faces came into the hall to see what all the commotion was, the shorter of the two carrying a large bone boomerang.

"Who's there?" Sango demanded, then dropped her weapon as the image of Sesshoumaru holding Kagome came into focus in the semi-darkness.

"Sango," Kagome croaked, before another contraction seized her tired body. Sesshoumaru placed her on a mat on the floor, and jammed a nearby pillow under her head, then got up to leave. She grabbed his hand.

"No, Sesshoumaru,' she whispered. "Don't leave me…" He sighed.

"I must," he said, kneeling next to her. "I will find Inuyasha and bring him back. As much as we do not like each other, he will hate himself if he misses this, and I will hate myself for not at least trying to find him for you."

She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks to pool in her ears. He was so sweet.

He left, as Miroku dressed and ran from the house. "Get Kaede," Sango yelled after him, pulling on her own robe. "She'll know what to do."

Inuyasha sprinted back home, and when he reached the edge of the village, his anger had somewhat subsided. Slowing down, he stopped to catch his breath for a moment. As he bent over, his lungs heaving, his eyes their normal golden hue, he began to think about what would happen to Kagome if he were to die.

As much as he hated to admit it, the next best mate for her was, regrettably, Sesshoumaru. He shook his head. If he died, that's who he wanted Kagome to go to, but he would fight this illness with all his might…unless it took over him again, and he did something stupid to get himself injured, or, Kami forbid, killed.

He couldn't die; he had a family to provide for, a house to finish, fields that needed to be harvested, and a dozen other little things. He supposed Miroku could do the harvesting if he was unable, but he hated to leave such a heavy burden to his best friend.

_'How'd I get so useless so fast?'_ he thought, foreseeing his tailspin into complete insanity. He knew it was inevitable; in fact, he had known for a while now, but he refused to tell anybody, and cause any more worry than he already had. You didn't suffer a bout with Naraku's miasma and get away unscathed.

This illness, he feared, would cost him his life.

Sesshoumaru strode through the meadow, following Inuyasha's fading scent. How did he wind up getting sucked into these things?

_'You do it because you love her,'_ a voice in the back of his mind whispered, and his eyes narrowed.

_'So?'_ he responded. _'Why do you automatically assume that I love that woman when we are no more than good friends? I promised her my protection, and that's what I will give her.'_

_'Yeah,'_ the little voice rejoined, _'that, and you'll give her everything else you've got to give too. I know what you're thinking when you're with her; you want her, and you want to mate her. You are so jealous of your brother it makes your blood boil, but you keep telling yourself that it'd be low to kill him and take his woman.'_

Sesshoumaru snorted. _'Of course it is. I will not take the wench until she returns my love for her to me. Then, and only then, will she be mine.'_

So absorbed in his inner conversation was Sesshoumaru that he walked right into Inuyasha, whose eyes, upon seeing him, began to glow a bloody red. The stripes sprouted along his cheekbones, and Inuyasha emitted a growl that made the hairs on Sesshoumaru's neck stand on end. The power his brother pulsed with was - almost - the same as his own.

Sesshoumaru breathed in quickly. It was just as he thought; Inuyasha's blood had changed again, and his soul would be forfeit if he could not prevent what was about to occur. Inuyasha lowered himself into a crouch, ready to spring. Before he did, Sesshoumaru said, "Inuyasha, what is the matter? Do you loathe the sight of your only brother that much?"

Sesshoumaru cringed inwardly. Not the best choice of words, but if his taunt would bring Inuyasha's anger down on his head and his head alone, he might be able to subdue and hopefully, contain, his brother's rage.

Inuyasha laughed, a low gutteral sound, and he whispered loud enough that Sesshoumaru had no trouble hearing, "Thought you could steal her, did you? Go into my house and go through my things, will you…never again, brother mine."

Sesshoumaru thought back. He had forgotten about his little foray into Inuyasha's home…his perusal of his and Kagome's things…her scent, that was so sweet, covering her things…his heart skipped a beat.

While he had been lost in memory, Inuyasha had attacked him. He moved so swifty, Sesshoumaru had barely any time to draw _Tokijin_ before he had the weapon knocked out of his hand.

_'Shit.'_ Sesshoumaru had time for only this thought as Inuyasha flew at him again, his only escape being his ability to dodge Inuyasha's blows with his superior speed. He needed _Tetsusaiga_, and he needed it now.

He looked to Inuyasha's side, but as he suspected, _Tetsusaiga_ was not there. He'd seen it though, he could have sworn…then he remembered. It was in Inuyasha and Kagome's bedroom, in the closet, next to _Dokkasou-sada_. He sped away to fetch it, when Inuyasha accomplished the impossible - he latched onto Sesshoumaru's shoulder with his fangs, and attempted to move toward his neck - toward his jugular.

Sesshoumaru's inner demon had put up with Inuyasha until now without transforming, but could contain itself no longer at such an eminent threat to it's master's life. With an ear-splitting howl, Sesshoumaru transformed, and Inuyasha clung doggedly to his neck fur as his brother grew larger.

Sesshoumaru tried in vain to shake him off, but Inuyasha crawled like a flea toward his destination. Idly, Sesshoumaru wondered what had brought on such a change in Inuyasha. Was it the fact that he was facing Sesshoumaru for the first time since the creation of _Tokijin_ without _Tetsusaiga_ to contain him? Or was it another spasm of his mind, a lapse from the illness Sesshoumaru could smell festering in him? That he had been in their house without Inuyasha's knowledge?

He resolved that it was likely a combination of all three. Sesshoumaru knew there was no cure for brain disease in a half-demon; the fact that his body had failed to heal itself was obvious evidence of that theory.

But, as Sesshoumaru brought his hind paw up to scratch Inuyasha away from his vulnerable jugular, he wondered if this was truly going to be Inuyasha's end, and found he was not as happy about it as he once might have been.

An ear-splitting scream rent the air, soon followed by the wail of a new-born pup. Sesshoumaru's eyes darted to Inuyasha, who had landed hard on the ground after his brother's foot had flung him away. Inuyasha didn't even acknowledge that he'd heard the crying, let alone his own mate's screams. Sesshoumaru narrowed his crimson eyes. He smelled a rat, so to speak.

Inuyasha, getting to his feet, had suddenly turned in the direction of the sounds. To Sesshoumaru's complete surprise, a look of pure evil crossed Inuyasha's face; he'd only seen one other person smile like that - Naraku. Was Naraku possessing his brother's mind? Sesshoumaru's questions became obsolete as Inuyasha sprinted away, and Sesshoumaru had no doubt about his brother's intent; in his insanity, Inuyasha was going to try to kill his mate, and their new-born pup.

Sesshoumaru sprinted after him, hoping he hadn't fallen too far behind.

Kaede ordered Sango to boil more water, as she and Miroku ran around the house, gathering supplies. Kagome had been moved to the kitchen table, and her clothing removed. Only her bra remained on her person as she sweated her pain away, and Kaede forced her to drink some water between contractions. She would only take a little; any more made her sick.

When everyone returned to the room seconds later, the baby's head was crowning. Kaede was at her wit's end. Kagome had been pretty dilated when she left the room, but the birth was happening so fast that she barely had time to think straight.

Placing a mound of blankets under Kagome, and dropping her small knife into the pot of boiling water Sango set next to her, Kaede prepared to deliver the pup.

"One more push, Kagome, and ye will be a mother, to my way of thinking," she said, and ordered Miroku to hold one of her legs while Sango braced the other, for the final push. Kagome was so tired; she wanted to die. This pup was going to kill her, and she didn't think she had it in her to push anymore. Images of Inuyasha flashed before her eyes; where was he anyway? _'Damn him,'_ she cursed in her head, _'never around when I need him most.'_

"I can't," she croaked, exhausted.

"Yes, you can, Kagome," Sango encouraged., and Miroku smiled at her. "Come on, Lady Kagome, if anyone has the strength to pull through this, it is you."

She smiled weakly in return to his kind remark, even though she was too tired to care that he was seeing more of her now than he'd probably ever seen of even Sango.

She took a deep breath, and prepared herself. She would push one more time, even if this baby tore her in two.

Clenching her jaw, she pushed with everything she had left, and passed the child's shoulders through the birth canal, completing the hardest part of the whole ordeal. She screamed in pain as she tore from the strain. The child came forth with a mighty scream and flailed his tiny arms as Kaede gently wiped him clean.

"Congratulations, Kagome," she said, using the hot knife to severe the umbilical cord. "Ye've birthed a strapping baby boy. And what a set of lungs on him, too."

She quickly wrapped the baby up and turned to hand him to Kagome, but she had passed out from the strain.

Sango mopped her sweaty brow as Miroku covered her with a blanket, preserving her modesty. He knew he'd never forget this night, not for a long time.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Everyone looked toward the front door; a loud growling could be heard from there, as if a demon from Hell itself stood just on the other side. The shaking increased, then abruptly stopped, but the silence lasted no longer as the door cover was ripped from it's fastenings.

There, silhouetted against the light from a half-full moon, stood Inuyasha. His eyes glowed a hellish red, and his ears twitched in attentiveness. A collective gasp was heard around the room.

Kagome opened her eyes to a sight she would never forget. Inuyasha had finally come. She reached a hand out to him, but stopped when she saw his eyes.

They darted between every face in the room, a distrustful, yet murderous gaze looking out from their bloody depths. He began to laugh, low at first, until he was cackling loudly. He cracked his knuckles; there was no doubt in anyone's mind what his intentions were.

Sango gripped _Hiraikotsu_, ready to throw it at a second's notice. She frowned; had the sickness finally overtaken his mind?

Miroku gritted his teeth, and reached for the staff leaning against the wall. _'No, Inuyasha,'_ he thought. _'You must fight it, for their sake.'_ He glanced at Kagome and then to the child wailing in Kaede's arms.

Kaede had feared few things in her life, and Inuyasha was not one of them - until now. She unconsciously gripped the child in her arms tighter. He wouldn't dare to…not his own son_…'Over my dead body,'_ she resolved firmly, putting aside her fear.

Kagome could see what was happening. Her beloved hanyou had turned, and _Tetsusaiga_ was not at his side where it should be. Fresh tears travelled down her chapped cheeks in rivulets, she could feel her life slipping through her fingers, and she was too weak to defend their child against him, but she knew that if he tried to kill her, she wouldn't defend herself. How could she deny anything to the man she loved?

Her love suddenly turned to fear as she saw his eyes dart hungrily to their son, who still cried and flailed his tiny fists inside his blanket. In that moment, his eyes truly were the window to his soul; a soul that had been completely devoured by his demon blood, and, she didn't doubt, the temporary insanity that had been plaguing him since Naraku's death. Had Naraku…when the miasma entered Inuyasha's eye?

Suddenly it all became clear to her. Naraku was still alive, even though he was not assuming a solid state, he had taken up residence in Inuyasha's mind, and from there was doing as much damage as his circumstances would allow. He was trying to eventually overtake Inuyasha's body!

Kagome cried out then, just as he swung his gaze back to her and prepared to spring. She screamed, "Inuyasha, please, don't do this! I love you!" But it was too late.

Sesshoumaru ran after Inuyasha in his demon form, the earth shaking beneath his massive paws. He should have easily caught up to and overtaken Inuyasha, but his brother was so fast…it boggled even Sesshoumaru's mind. _'Naraku must be about to try to overtake his body,'_ Sesshoumaru thought. _'And he thinks his first meal is going to be Kagome and the child. Not if I can help it.'_

All thoughts disappeared from his mind as the instinct to protect what was his took over. Even though Sesshoumaru hadn't gone so far as to verbally claim Kagome, in his mind he had staked a claim on her the day she had hugged him in gratitude for his gift of the sword to her, and he was only waiting for the appropriate time to make his intentions known.

His inner demon, however, had long ago accepted her as his life mate, and was fiercely protective of her; the only thing keeping it in check was Sesshoumaru's iron control of his beast. His self-discipline was so refined that reining the demon in was a reflex, something he didn't even have to think about.

As he approached the house of the demon slayer and houshi, he transformed into his humanoid form, while still maintaining his speed. When the transformation was complete, he stepped it up; he had to get there in time.

When he reached the house, Inuyasha's back had just disappeared inside. He grunted and flung himself up the steps and through the open door, the cover gone. The sight that greeted him made his stomach flip over and clench in pure fear.

He didn't stop to think; he just acted, and using his demon speed, intercepted his brother in mid-air with a fist through the gut, momentarily stopping Inuyasha. Both Kagome and Sango screamed when Inuyasha fell, Kagome covering her face to block the horrible image from her sight.

Sesshoumaru, his fist caught on Inuyasha's ribcage, turned around and tried to fling him out the door, but Inuyasha regained consciousness and dug both his clawed hands into Sesshoumaru's back, rolling both of them out the door onto the front lawn.

Everyone except Kagome ran after them, to see what would happen. Kagome slowly got down off the table and hobbled to a window.

By the time she reached it, things were looking bad for Sesshoumaru; his arms, back, and chest were covered in bloody ruts, inflicted by Inuyasha's claws, while Inuyasha appeared to have only the gut wound. Everything Sesshoumaru did was in self-defense, and Kagome began to fear for his life. She winced with every wound her mate inflicted upon her sensei. She felt the pain from each. She couldn't watch, but neither could she tear her gaze away.

As her mate and her friend tried to tear each other apart, something inside her began to die.

Sesshoumaru was trying; he really was, but Inuyasha kept pinning him, and he'd had enough. His whole body screamed in pain, and as his wounds knitted themselves closed, his brother only inflicted more in his fervour to kill. At least he'd managed to divert Inuyasha's rage toward himself.

Kagome was unharmed, as was the pup and everyone else…so far.

He began to feel winded, and once again his demon began to surface. He had been holding back on Inuyasha, not wanting to kill him, just hurt him, but he could take no more. Transforming, he rolled onto Inuyasha, momentarily crushing him. When he stood up, Inuyasha was gone, he had begun to scale Sesshoumaru's giant foreleg in an attempt to once again sever his jugular.

Sesshoumaru growled.

Flicking his brother off, he pinned him to the ground with one massive paw. Inuyasha struggled, but to no avail. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru felt a burning sensation in the pads of his paw; Inuyasha was…burning him? How could that be?

Removing his paw, Sesshoumaru looked upon not his brother, but Naraku, the evil spawn they had tried so long and so hard to kill, and thought they had done it finally, too, but...

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes; his mind became foggy with rage. The person on the ground was no longer Inuyasha, but Naraku. Still weak, for the only thing he had absorbed was Inuyasha, Naraku was no match for Sesshoumaru. Without further thought, he reached down with his massive jaws and, as he had done with _Tokijin_, absorbed Naraku essence, then bit into him, chewing him thoroughly before spitting the remains on the ground, then drooling poison over them. Before long they were a sizzling, messy hole in the grass, and no more.

Kagome saw what Sesshoumaru had done and screamed . She was trying to rip her hair out when Sango rushed back into the house to hold her, now that Inuyasha was gone, she wouldn't stop crying. Sango herself blamed Sesshoumaru for nothing, but she didn't think he felt too proud of himself, either.

Of course, Kagome was too distraught at the moment to realise this; Sango would bring it up after she'd calmed down and rested. They had work to do on her yet; there was a blood trail from the table to the window, and it was puddling under Kagome as she cried on the floor.

"Kaede!" Sango yelled, and the old woman came to the doorway, still clutching the child, who'd fallen asleep by now. She saw the floor, and her face blanched. "Miroku!" she yelled behind her, startling the baby and spurring Miroku to run to meet her. She handed the child off to Sango and ordered, "Get her back up on yon table, Monk; we're not finished in here yet."

Kagome did not struggle as Miroku lifted her from the floor and replaced her on the table before Kaede, who was boiling more water and threading a curved needle with white thread. Miroku gulped; that needle was huge!

"Wha…what are you going to do with that?" he asked, swaying.

"Kagome tore when the babe was born, Miroku. We must sew her up so that she will heal faster and with less chance of infection. Kagome," she called, shaking the exhausted woman's knee. She opened her red eyes and looked at the older woman with sorrow.

"Kagome," she repeated, her heart breaking for the young woman in front of her, "I need ye to be strong for me again. This will hurt, but I'll go as fast as I am able for ye."

Kagome only looked away. She had no energy to respond. Sango brought the baby to Kagome's side. At first, she didn't want to be reminded of her late mate, for the child had inherited his father's ears and white hair, but those seemed to be the only similarities he shared with his dead father.

She sighed; she could no more turn him away than she could stop herself from loving her Inuyasha. She nodded, and Sango laid him on her chest, where she guided him to her breast and his first meal in the outside world.

Sango went to bed that morning only after making sure Kagome and the baby were comfortably settled in the spare bedroom. Miroku had already been in bed for an hour, having passed out from the sight of Kaede sewing Kagome up with that giant curved needle. She shook her head; he was such a wuss sometimes.

Dropping her tired limbs by her sides, she fell asleep as Miroku rolled over and flung an arm around her waist, and murmured in her ear. The last thing she remembered before dropping off was pushing his face away with her free hand.

Sesshoumaru walked slowly back to the Western Border, heading for home. He couldn't face Kagome with what he'd done; not yet. He felt terrible, and his guilt consumed him.

He stopped to lean against a tree before he even reached the border, and, making sure he was alone, he allowed tears to fall from his golden orbs for the first time since his Mother's death. He had felt bad when his Father died, but he had been too angry at the Dog General to cry at his passing.

As a few tears made their way to his chin, he wiped them away with the back of his hand, and drew in a deep breath.

_'No,'_ he thought. He couldn't leave her. He didn't know how she would receive him, but he had to go back to her. He couldn't leave her to deal with this on her own.

Slowly he picked himself up, and reluctantly headed back in the direction from whence he'd come.

Whew, that was soo depressing! Sob! I dunno how realistic my birthing scene is, never having experienced it myself, so forgive any inconsistencies, if you'll be so kind. Review sweethearts, and I will...umm...update! Yeah! Muahahahahaha!


	11. Chapter 11

Hey, guys, another day, another update! Woot! Do a little dance, lala!

Deds: Ok, this one goes out to four ppl:

smartgal2007: I'm getting to it, I'm trying to finish this bastard, it's as of this minute 75 pages long, and my fingers are killing me! But, like I said, things are going to go your way, except the villain thing...I dunno bout that yet.

strodgfrgf: Yes, it's true, Inuyasha has expired. I'm sorry Yasha lovers, I love him too, but I have to make room and satisfy everyone in the story. Sigh. And I'll go into the Tensaiga thing in coming chapters.

BrokenWingedAngel16: I know, I wanted to cry, it was sooo depressing. Here ya go!

lady KCassandra: I'm sorta confused about what you said, but...as long as you like it!lol

Anyway, this is gonna be shorter, I gotta work in like, forty-five. So here ya go!

Disclaimer: My cat's name is Mittens.

**Moonlight Shadow**

Four days after the incident, Kagome still refused to go home. She didn't like to let Sango leave her side, and Miroku began to worry for her mental well-being. She still had not named the child, though she spent all her time and devoted whatever feeling she had left in her to the little boy.

Miroku had to admit that he was a cute little thing, and had a healthy set of lungs on him, just as Kaede had said. If he was hungry, he didn't hesitate to let the whole house know with his howls.  
Only today had she felt well enough to start walking again, and she wasn't as sore as she thought she would be.

Catching a glimpse of her house through a window as she passed, she felt the hand that was squeezing her heart tighten its grip, and the tears silently began to flow. Unable to help herself, she picked her son up and, when Sango's back was turned and Miroku wasn't looking, slipped out the back door.

Reaching her own front steps, Kagome looked at her mate's work with a critical eye; the corner post was slightly crooked, and he hadn't finished nailing shingles to the roof. Even though he'd been no carpenter, Kagome thought Inuyasha's efforts had been the most beautiful she'd ever seen him create.

She thought of how proud of himself he'd been when he would show her what he had finished, what he was working on, and what he planned to do when that was done. She brought her hand to her mouth, and, breathing steadily, forced herself to go inside.

She closed her eyes and felt her way to the bedroom, not wanting to see anything that would make her stop and remember. Not until she got to their room. When she did, she went straight to the bed and curled up around her little boy, whispering to him stories about how strong and brave his Daddy had been, and how sorry she was that they would never know each other.

Sango watched as Kagome stole away across the meadow, thinking she had successfully sneaked away without detection. She shook her head. Why she felt she had to be sneaky, Sango didn't know. She gasped as a figure clad in white with long, silky white hair emerged from the forest to follow her friend into the house that now only brought her pain.

Sesshoumaru had been watching the demon slayer's house for the last day and a half, waiting for Kagome to emerge. Finally, in the afternoon, she did, carrying her pup with her. He waited a moment before following her to the unfinished house his brother had taken so much pride in.

Kagome was wallowing in her own self-pity when she heard a noise from the bedroom doorway. She'd put the baby in his basinet so she wouldn't roll over on him if she fell asleep.

There, as if in a dream, stood Sesshoumaru, and he had removed his armour and swords. She blinked. Was she dreaming? Suddenly, she didn't care.

She reached a hand out to him and choked, "Sesshoumaru…it's not…your fault…" He stared back at her, and his eyes became hooded with pure emotion, something he'd never felt before.

"Kagome," he said, husky, as he rushed to hold her, his shirt falling open and exposing his chest in the process. She sat up to meet him, and he took her in his arms, and rolled so that she lay atop him, and held her to his chest, while he stroked her hair and murmured soothing words in her ear.

She cried into his bare chest, and held him tight in return as the pup slept on nearby, he too soothed by the sounds Sesshoumaru was producing from deep in his chest. Eventually Kagome fell asleep there, and Sesshoumaru felt that he was truly holding heaven in his arms for the first time in his whole life.

When Kagome awoke, she was warm. Someone was holding her, and she smiled for the first time since…the smile faded as she remembered. She clutched the warm body underneath her tighter, and felt it respond in kind.

Looking up, she looked into beautiful golden irises, so similar to that of her mate, Inuyasha…but these were different. These were rounder irises, and had a streak of red above each eyelid. Two magenta stripes jutted out from beneath them to attempt to meet at his nose, but didn't quite make it there. She smiled again; Sesshoumaru was holding her, she had nothing to fear.

He smiled into her eyes, and she felt something inside her grow warm, something she'd thought she lost when she watched this man crush her beloved mate. She grew warm inside, and almost couldn't believe her body's reaction. She was becoming aroused.

In the back of her mind she was telling herself to stop, that it was too soon, and she hoped Sesshoumaru would stop her, because she knew that she had no willpower of her own and would not fight him if he decided he wanted her.

She felt terrible, but couldn't help herself. He had been under her nose for so long, and she had feared that he had developed feelings for her, feelings that she could never return as long as Inuyasha loved her, but…she never expected to develop those same feelings herself, and so soon after the death of her mate, at that.

Sesshoumaru growled quietly, more like a purr than anything else. Her arousal was reaching his sensitive nose and he wrestled valiantly with his demon, taming it and keeping it simmering just under the surface. He would not act on her until she said the words, even if it killed him. He wanted to know what she was thinking behind those chocolate eyes of hers; he wanted to know that he was forgiven, and he wanted her to show him that forgiveness.

Their thoughts were scattered as the pup awoke, and began to wail his hunger to the frayed nerves of his mother. She sighed; the moment was gone. Sesshoumaru didn't move as she lifted herself off of him, reached over, and swung her legs off the bed, and plucked the pup from his basinet.

When she had him in her arms, she made to leave the room to feed him, but Sesshoumaru gently grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. Shaking his head, he motioned with his arms that she return to his lap. Tilting her head, she hesitated. Finally, she asked, "Are you sure?"

He only nodded, and she slid back toward him, and he adjusted their positions until they were both comfortable. Then, he watched silently as she slid open her own kimono and fed her son, his crying stopping immediately, the silence broken only by his loud gulping and periodic intake of air as he contentedly sucked.

Sesshoumaru smiled. To think he had been afraid of this little bundle just a few days ago. Afraid to see him, afraid to be near his mother, afraid to acknowledge what he represented: that his brother had managed to achieve something so precious with the woman he loved, something Sesshoumaru envied so much of him.

Soon the pup began to fuss, he was still hungry. Kagome shifted him to her other side, and guided his mouth. He quieted and continued to suck heartily. This pup had quite the appetite. _'As it should be,'_ Sesshoumaru thought.

He leaned over her shoulder, and breathed in her ear, "Have you named him yet, Lady?"

Kagome shuddered in pleasure, then felt bad for enjoying his presence so much. She should be mourning, and she knew she would be for a long time, but she couldn't bring herself to ruin this moment by turning his advances away.

"No," she breathed, turning her head so their lips were mere inches apart. He held his breath.

Should he kiss her? He was still pondering this when the pup stopped sucking, and began to scream his displeasure at not being burped yet. Kagome jumped and Sesshoumaru backed off slightly as she closed her kimono, then brought the pup to her shoulder and began to vigorously rub his little back in circles, moving from his neck to his tailbone.

After ten minutes, the pup still wailed and no burp had come forth. Kagome was beginning to get frustrated. Sesshoumaru, too, was growing tired of the pup's loud wails. Touching her shoulder so she turned to face him, he asked, "May I?" and held out his hands.

Surprised, but speechless, Kagome complied, and handed him the pup. Sesshoumaru concentrated as he held the pup face-up in his left palm, while he rubbed its bulging little belly with his right.

After a moment, when Kagome thought his efforts were also going to be in vain, a loud belch issued from the pup's mouth, and he closed his eyes as he found his thumb. He fell asleep there between Sesshoumaru's large clawed hands.

Kagome smiled as Sesshoumaru gently lay the pup on the bedding between them, then looked up at her with a small smile of his own.

"How did you know to do that?" she asked in a whisper.

"I don't know," he whispered back after a moment. "As soon as you handed him to me, I just followed my instincts, and they told me to rub his belly."

He looked at her baby as if he was his, as if he were her baby's father. Kagome felt her heart swell, and she felt the familiar vestiges of heat rise in her loins as she watched him gently stroke the pup's silver hair that was so similar to his own.

When he looked up at her again, her eyelids were hooded, and her chest was heaving, her kimono once again falling open to his delight. Her face was slightly coated with perspiration; the next breath he took was filled with her heady scent, and once again, he pushed his demon down as it strained to break free.

She suddenly remembered that she had not yet removed the thread Kaede had used to sew her up, and she lowered her bangs over her eyes. They would both have to wait.

Getting off the bed, she picked up the pup and put him back in the basinet, then turned to the closet to find something else to wear.

Sesshoumaru remained where he was, reclined against the headboard as he watched her disrobe, then leave the room with a new kimono.

She walked down the hall to what served as a bathroom in this era and washed her face in a basin of water, then brushed her teeth, throwing away the used water and pouring herself some more.

She was about to give herself a sponge-bath when Sesshoumaru appeared in the doorway, much as he had last night, only his haori was gone, and so was his sash and boots. Only his white hakama remained on his person as he leaned against the doorjamb, taking the image of her in like a delectably sweet drink he just couldn't get enough of.

Tilting her head, she said nothing as he took the wet cloth from her hand, and turning her about, proceeded to wash her body. She closed her eyes, and sighed in satisfaction as he ran the cloth down her back, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in his wake.

Coming to stand behind her, he leaned his head over her shoulder and grazed her neck with his nose; already Inuyasha's scent was fading from her, his mating mark disappearing before his very own eyes as he washed this woman, this woman whom he loved more than anyone, even his beloved mother.

Bringing the cloth up under her ribcage, he smiled as she laid her hand atop his, and guided him to her sensitive breasts. When he had thoroughly washed them, he moved to her stomach, which still pouched slightly; but would soon be flat once again, as soon as she got back into her training routine. He was going to make sure that she was the best he'd ever trained, for he was trained by the best, himself, and could offer her no less.

From there he moved to her thighs, and kneeling next to her, doused both her legs thoroughly with moisture. Leaving the best for last, he brought the cloth to the part of her body where she was still slightly sore, though he didn't know that. When he touched her, she flinched, and he stopped, looking into her eyes.

She wanted him, and he her, but deep down, she wasn't ready. She felt terrible even entertaining such thoughts so soon after… she brought her hand to her mouth and lowered her other to cup his cheek, running her thumb over his cheekbone.

"I'm sorry," she choked, and he nodded, standing. "Me too," he said, holding her. "It's alright; I understand."

She nodded her head, and he led her back to her room, and laid her on the bed, kissing her forehead. Then he made as if to leave her.

She panicked. "Where are you going?" she said, grabbing a handful of his white hakama.

He stopped, and looked back at her. He let out a breath, the crawled under the sheets beside her, mumbling, "Nowhere," as he did so.

She snuggled up to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, once again pushing his demon down, silencing it's demands for her body. _'Not yet,'_ he chastised it, frowning a little as he rested his chin on her head, and she rested her head over his heart.

_'She's not ready.'_

Whew, that was a quickie. It'll get better for Kagome, don't worry, Sessy's gonna heal her wounded heart (wink!)


	12. Chapter 12

Well, this is a record, three updates in one day. Damn, you guys are so demanding. Sigh. The impatience! Fine, here ya go, I love you all!

Deds: BrokenWingedAngel16: You think so? Some people don't like the pairing I don't think, but hey, I do!

Disclaimer: Me and my best friend are gettin' along like two beavers in a mudhut, eh? That moosette has got some nerve, I say.

**Moonlight Shadow**

The next morning, Kagome awoke alone, but next to her on the pillow, lay the pup, a folded note tightly fisted in his tiny hand. Kagome wrestled it loose without waking him up, and opened it.

Inside, he'd written:

_Kagome,  
This pup needs a name. How about Inumaru? He is, after all, Inuyasha's first son. It suits him. I will return soon, Lady. Please wait for me.  
Sesshoumaru_

Kagome smiled; she liked it too. She turned to lovingly stroke her baby's back, and he yawned a mighty yawn before opening his eyes to look at her. She was thrown off guard; since he was born she had yet to see his eyes, and she was delighted with what she saw. They were a bright molten gold, just like Inuyasha's…just like Sesshoumaru's.

Laughing, she picked him up, and carried him to the kitchen, where she bathed him, smiling the entire time she was doing it.

Sango cleared the meadow that morning, after having sent Miroku to the village to ask around and see if any of the young men who weren't busy wanted to help manage Inuyasha's crops, which would soon be harvested. Kagome, she suspected, was still too deep in her sorrow to care about the crops, but when she approached the back door, she caught a glimpse of her best friend, laughing and smiling in front of her kitchen window.

Her curiosity piqued, Sango waved to her and called out her name. Kagome waved back, and motioned her to come inside.

When Sango walked in, she was shocked at what she saw.

Kagome had been busy this morning.

A large hamper of laundry was sitting next to the door, and the pup was laying on the table while Kagome changed him. Dumping a healthy amount of baby powder on top of a creamy white layer of ointment on his bum, she slapped on a diaper and handed him to Sango.

"You're happy today." Sango commented, and held the pup away as he tried to stuff her hair in his mouth.

"Yeah, Sesshoumaru came last night. He really made me feel a lot better, you know?"

Sango raised an eyebrow at this.

"He did?"

"Uh huh," Kagome replied, throwing the baby's dirty bathwater out the door.

"Oh, and he thought of a name for my strapping little man, too. I know I should be sad," here she stopped and turned to face Sango, "but I can't help myself, I feel so happy today. I feel terrible for it, because it makes it seem as if he…" she paused, and swallowed; he was still painful to talk about, despite her mood.

"…as if his death means nothing to me. But I miss him so much, Sango!"

Here, she did break down and start to cry, and Sango rushed over, and held her with her free arm until her sobs subsided and she sniffled, wiping her face dry.

Sango understood now. Kagome had been trying to put on a happy face, and she was sure Sesshoumaru had something to do with her happiness this morning, but in the long run, she knew Kagome wasn't as happy as she let on, that she still suffered, and would likely continue to suffer for a long time.

Sango had seen the look on Sesshoumaru's face yesterday when he'd followed her friend; he'd looked miserable. She knew he was distraught too, even though he'd probably never admit it to anyone…except Kagome, that is. Sango thought back.

A while ago, she had stumbled upon Sesshoumaru and Kagome in the forest, and had been amazed to catch them kissing each other. She hadn't said anything, because she figured if Kagome wanted her to know about it, she'd tell her. But until then, Sango had kept her mouth shut about it; she hadn't even told Miroku.

Sango smiled a little. Maybe Sesshoumaru had been put in Kagome's path for a reason…she shook her head.

It was remote, but not impossible.

Whatever the case, Sango trusted in Kagome's judgement, and if she fell in love with the demon Lord, she certainly wasn't going to object. He was Inuyasha's brother, after all. She could understand Kagome's deep attachment to him, the second last reminder of her late mate that she had left, aside from her pup.

"That reminds me," she said, handing the baby back to Kagome, who walked away to make tea to share with her friend. "You never told me the name he came up with."

Kagome smiled a little; the memory of his note was so sweet. "Inumaru."

Sango laughed. "Well, it's certainly appropriate. I like it."

"Me too," Kagome sighed, and went to the other end of the counter, and lay Inumaru on a blanket folded into a triangular shape. Placing it over her head, she knotted it at her shoulder, creating an impromptu snuggly for Inumaru, leaving both her hands free.

Sango tilted her head. "That's neat," she said, "where'd you learn to do that?"

"Oh, Mom gave me a bunch of books a while ago about babies, and this was in one of them. I have to go home today, and do my laundry, and…and tell them the news."

She pasted a fake smile on for Sango and plunked herself at the table, sighing. Sango reached over and rubbed her hand, and Kagome smiled a little.

"You'll get through this," she promised.

"I know."

Sesshoumaru left his castle, and took to the air. On the way, something red flew by; on an impulse, he reached out and snagged it.

The cloth, feeling like wool, had a familiar scent. He brought it to his nose. It was Inuyasha's fire-rat haori, or part of it, anyway. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

He remembered that Inuyasha had lost it that day, had lost it during his battle with him.

Sesshoumaru tucked it into his sash, under his armour, next to the small bag he'd attached there before he left home.

Facing forward once again, he continued on his way, his faithful retainer moaning from his perch on his fur the entire way.

Kagome landed at the bottom of the well, returning with her laundry from her mother's. She had been gone all afternoon; they had all cried over the loss of Inuyasha.

Kagome wiped her nose with a tissue she grabbed at home, in fact had taken the whole box, at the insistence of her mother. Her clean, but wet laundry rested on her other hip.

Slowly, and very awkwardly, she climbed out, hauling the basket with her. Sango had Inumaru until she came for him; which she should soon. If her sore breasts were anything to go by, he'd be ravenous by the time she got there.

As she ambled home with her load, she thought about staying in her time permanently, but shook her head as soon as the thought entered her mind.

No, she couldn't leave her friends, and Sesshoumaru. And, she reminded herself, she had to set up a shrine to her Inuyasha, which she planned to do today after laundry, and picking up her baby.

Entering the house, she found Miroku waiting for her at the kitchen table, his eyes busily taking in everything around him.

Since she was from the future, Inuyasha had built many things in their house modelled after things he'd seen in her time, like the tables, and chairs.

At Miroku's house, there were no chairs, just low tables and mats. And Kagome had running water; it had to be hand-pumped, but it was installed in the counter, with a basin next to it, what she called a sink. He would never cease to be amazed with what Inuyasha had managed to accomplish with this house, he'd thought the man too simple-minded to do any of it, but he supposed Kagome had had a large part in what went where and how it worked.

She dropped the basket on the table with a loud plop, startling him from his thoughts. He blushed.

"What's up, Miroku?" she asked, not at all perturbed about finding him making himself comfortable in her house.

"Not a whole lot, Lady Kagome," he said, and rubbed his neck, embarrassed at being caught ogling everything.

"You know," he said, trying to distract her attention from his red face, "you have quite a lot of advanced things here. Are they from your time?"

She leaned over the basket and smiled. "Yes, they are. Come, I have to hang out my laundry."

He followed her outside, where he watched her hang all her damp clothes upside-down on a line strung from the house to a nearby tree. All the gadgets she had were so amazing to him.

"How are you doing, Kagome? Are you holding up alright? I know how hard all this must be on you…how hard it is on all of us." He thought of Shippo, who had been staying with him and Sango ever since the incident, and hadn't spoken to Kagome since then, either.

When he said this, Kagome herself seemed to remember the little kitsune, and her face fell in guilt.

"I'd really rather not talk about it, Miroku, if I do, I'll just cry, and all I've done since then is cry. I cried last night, and I cried with my family this morning in my time, I really don't want to cry anymore today... I'm sorry."

She sniffled; looked like she was crying…again.

Miroku took the damp shirt she held and tossed it back in the basket before he took her in his arms, and she readily accepted solace from him. She once again broke down and sobbed out her sorrow as he held her, and when her sobs quieted, she stood back, and thanked him.

"Oh Miroku, I miss him so much. We've been through so much together, it feels so unfair to be robbed of his love, when we both worked so hard to get where we wanted to be…" she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders and sighing heavily.

He still gripped her upper arms. "I know, Kagome," he said, hugging her again.

She wiped her eyes. "I don't even have anything to remember him by...except Inumaru and _Tesusaiga_." She reburied her face in his robes, a fresh round of sobs emitting from her tired body.

He sighed and stroked her back in sympathy, feeling the tears well up in his own eyes at her pitiful cries.

"I know, I know," he soothed. After a while, he said, "If you ever need anything, anything at all, you just ask us, alright? You're still coming to the wedding?"

She nodded. "Wouldn't miss it," she sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"Good, it'll take your mind off of things, for a while at least," he said, and she smiled.

Remembering herself, she told him to wait there while she dashed into the house, putting the laundry basket back on the table. She'd hang the rest out when she got back.

Opening what Inuyasha had referred to as the 'icebox', Kagome brought out a six-pack of chocolate milkshakes, which her mother had given her before she left that morning.

Carrying it with her, she took Miroku's arm and led him toward his house, saying, "My mother gave me these, and I think we should all share them. Besides, I haven't seen Shippo in so long, he's sure to enjoy the lollipop I've got hidden in my pocket for him."

Miroku just smiled and let her lead him.

_'Yes,'_ he thought._ 'She's going to be alright.'_

Wow. Weepy. Sorry it's so short, but we're quickly approaching where I am at with this monster, people, so updates may soon slow down a bit if I happen to get writer's block (heaven forbid). So: are my characters out-of-character yet? I think they are, but you may not. Drop me a line and gimme yer opin, if you please...heeheehee. And remember, if they are...I warned ya!


	13. Chapter 13

Well people, thirteen chapters! Who knew we'd get this far! Dance, dance! Sigh. My pusy eyes are sooo sticky, yuck!

Deds:

Kitsune's Lover: Thank you so much! Your comments are balm to my abused fingers! And thank you for telling me who sings the song, I really appreciate it! This one's all yours, hun!

BrokenWingedAngel16: I know what it's like to hang from the edge; you shall no longer, my devoted friend!

Disclaimer: We'll see how you lawyers like a little bit of eye-pus, hehehe...prepare for lemons and laughs ahead!

**Moonlight Shadow**

That night, after Kagome went to bed, she lay thinking about what had happened that afternoon. Shippo had been so happy to see her, and everyone had enjoyed their milkshake, even Kaede, who'd dropped by to speak to Sango about Kagome's well-being, but they all wound up discussing it together. That led to Kagome asking Miroku to set up a shrine to Inuyasha, somewhere she could go and pay her respects to him whenever she wished.

He told her he'd set one up beneath the Goshimboku, in the place where'd they'd first met. This made everyone cry all over again.

When she'd left, though, with Inumaru tucked firmly in her arms, Kagome had felt much better. It was so nice to be with all her friends, and it kept her mind from wandering back into it's depressive funk.

She rolled over in bed, stared at the empty space next to her - his place - and picked up a book from the nightstand, and lit another candle for light as she began to read, Inumaru's soft snuffling providing background noise as she tried to forget.

Hearing a scrape and a thump down the hall, she put the book back on the nightstand and looked to the doorway.

Standing there, with his armour once again removed, was Sesshoumaru, and she let her gaze wander over him in the flickering light.

His hair was slightly unkempt, as if he'd been in a hurry, and he raised his eyebrows at her, asking permission to enter. She smiled.

Quietly he removed _Tensaiga_ and _Tokijin_, leaning them against the wall, and sat on the edge of the bed. Then he smirked at her. "Did you miss me?"

She raised a brow. What was he implying? She chuckled. "Of course," she whispered, "how could I not? Everyone loves the name you picked out for him, by the way," she jerked her thumb at the sleeping pup.

He inclined his head, accepting the praise.

"Staying tonight?" she asked.

He was quiet as he regarded her in the dim light, the tiny flame dancing off her raven hair, making it look like molten fire against hard, dried lava, but softened by the curves of the hairs that danced in the tiny draft he created when he sat down. She was beautiful. Motherhood definitely agreed with her, he thought indulgently.

Inumaru yawned and rolled over in his blanket, and loudly began fussing, breaking the moment.

Kagome sighed.

Before she could throw back the covers, Sesshoumaru raised his hand, stopping her. She watched as he got up, and picked the pup gently out of his basinet. Returning to the bed, he lay back, and placed Inumaru on his chest, over his heart. As Kagome watched, fascinated, he began to purr.

Imumaru immediately ceased his fussing and jammed his thumb in his mouth, and was soon snoring as he rose and fell with every breath Sesshoumaru took. Kagome smiled at him. Who knew he was good with kids?

_'Well,'_ she reflected, _'Rin does seem very attached to him. Maybe he was great with children all along, but none of us ever took the time to look.'_

When Inumaru was deeply sleeping, Sesshoumaru put him back in the basinet, and wrapped him snugly in his blanket. "Pups liked to be wrapped tight," he whispered. And sat down next to her. He was unprepared for the look of shock on her face; she was impressed!

"Sesshoumaru, you're so good with him! What's your secret?" she asked.

He hooded his eyes for a moment, thinking of his father, and all the things he used to do for Sesshoumaru that soothed him when he was but a small pup.

"Instinct," he whispered, meeting her gaze.

In that instant, Kagome felt it; she felt desire run hot through her veins, even stronger than when Inuyasha used to look at her like that. Suddenly all she wanted was to rut with him, to beg him to make love to her, to be as close to him as she could get.

Sesshoumaru sniffed; it was faint, but it was there.

Her arousal hit him like a ton of bricks, and he knew that his demon would soon surface, ready.

She leaned toward him, and he toward her, and their lips met in the lightest of kisses, barely a touch. She moved closer, and he brought a clawed hand to the back of her head as she slid her hand under his collar and pushed his haori off his shoulder, and began to explore his muscles, caressing and memorizing their shape.

He brought his other hand up to slide her nightgown strap away, and he broke the kiss for a second, only to be right back at her lips again, ravaging them.

When she began to moan quietly, he decided they'd gone far enough. He needed her, and he wanted her now, but they couldn't do anything with Inumaru so close by without waking him.

"Jaken," he growled softly, and the small kappa appeared at the doorway. Sesshoumaru wrenched his face away from Kagome's, and she saw Jaken standing there.

"Mmm, when did he get here?" she whispered, looking for his lips again. Sesshoumaru grinned at her, "He's been here all along," and picked her up in his arms, his haori falling around his waist.

She wrapped her legs around him, and her arms about his neck, and he strode from the room, leaving Jaken to guard the sleeping pup with his life.

Sesshoumaru sped down the stairs and out the door, toward the hot spring, which would be deserted at this hour. Kagome enjoyed the feel of the cool night wind in her hair and up her nightdress. She'd taken her stitches out that morning, and boy, was she ever glad she did. What was about to transpire would have been awkward if she had not.

They were there before she knew it, and he set her down gently on the nearest boulder, and began to remove his haori.

She put a hand on his arm. The hot spring glowed, and cast a soft light about the pair. Crickets sang loudly as they stared into each other's eyes. He stopped at her touch.

"Sesshoumaru…" she began, lowering her eyes, "teach me. Teach me how to mate with a dog demon. Inuyasha had his quirks, but he never really followed a pattern, a tradition. I assume you will?" He nodded, smiling.

"Do not fret, Lady," he said, trailing his fingers down the side of her face, neck, and shoulder. "We dog demons do have traditions, and mating does follow some rules. Everything you need to know -" here he brought his lips to her ear, licked it, then blew inside, making her shiver, "- I will show you, without words."

_'So,'_ she wondered, watching him resume the removal of his shirt, _'have you done this before, Sesshoumaru?'_

Unknown to her, he had not. This was a first for him, but he was not nervous. His demon would soon take over; it knew what to do with its eyes closed.

When his haori was gone, he took her hands and drew her to stand flush with him, their bodies so close she could hear his heart beat, which was surprisingly slow, even as hers sped up with the contact.

He was so…beautiful. She could think of no other word to describe him. His was a masculine beauty though, not feminine like her own, although she supposed some would disagree. She ran her fingers through his hair, and marvelled at its silkiness. Moving her hands to his muscled back, she drew her fingernails up and down over his skin, and he growled with the pleasure she was giving him. He wrapped one arm around her waist to secure her against him as they stood outside the spring, the steam wafting over them as the wind shifted direction. She disappeared, then reappeared before his eyes, and he wanted to drown in the mud-brown depths.

She, on the other hand, was floating in a molten gold sea, and she didn't care if she drowned; if fact she welcomed the prospect, if it was him doing the drowning.

Finally, when he could take no more of her delightful teasing, he brought her hands to the knot in his hakama.

She was in familiar territory here; she had undone Inuyasha's hakama many times before. She could do it in the dark, and often had. As she slowly unwound the cloth, he pulled her other strap off her shoulder, and slowy pushed the garment down, until it would go no further. As his hakama dropped in a puddle of silk on the ground, she lifted her arms, and he pulled her nightgown over her head, completely disrobing her. He kicked off his boots, and only his fundoshi was left.

Taking her hand, he led her into the water, where he turned her away from him, and began to douse her in the warm water. Using his clawed hands, he cupped water in them and poured it over her head, then rubbed her down until she was soaked and limber as a rag, and itching to get on him. She was so hot, she thought she might melt right there.

Turning her to face him, he brought her hands to the only thing that stood between them; his fundoshi. She smirked; his eyes flicked to red, but his irises remained gold in colour.

When that small piece of cloth was gone, Kagome brought herself flush with him once more, only this time she took his length in her hand and gently squeezed, eliciting a deep growl of pleasure from him.

His eyes stayed red; the demon was in the driver's seat now. And it demanded her.

Putting his hands on her shoulders, he exerted a gentle pressure, and she did not resist. She knew what was expected. _'He's good at this,'_ she thought, taking him in her mouth. _'He was right; I know what to do and he never had to say a thing.'_

When he'd had enough, he dug his clawed hand into her hair and pulled her off of him. He was ready, throbbing.

Pulling her up, he took her mouth with his, and kissed her with more passion and hunger than she'd ever known, even more than Inuyasha had ever shown her. She wrapped an arm around his neck, and drew his hand to her breast, which he squeezed gently, for they were often sore, and she would wince if he palpated her too roughly.

When they broke for air, he turned her, and laid her, belly-down, onto the boulder he'd thrown his haori, fur, and hakama over. She lay on them, her arms crossed over his fully fur ruff, her back to him, as he hovered behind her. Positioning himself, he slid into her, slowly, until he was all the way inside her. She was tight; it had been a while for her, but she was quickly expanding to fit him. He growled, and began to move.

His thrusts were powerful; within moments she was almost climaxing, and he followed suit. When she shuddered with pleasure, he bit her neck, and licked it clean, marking her as he released himself in her. She expected him to stop, but he didn't. He remained within her, but this time his thrusts were slow, measured, lazy almost. She moaned in ecstasy, and he growled, digging his claws into the flesh of her hips, but she felt no pain.

Suddenly, he stopped, and pulled himself from her. Disappointed, she rolled over, but smiled as he lunged at her, replacing himself within her and ravaging her breasts with his hands, her neck with his mouth. She decided to be bold and squeezed his rear with her fingernails; he laughed deeply into her neck, and she giggled with him.

When he had sated himself, and her, he released her, but she wasn't ready; she wanted more. He saw the need in her eyes, and she tugged gently on his furry ruff behind her, which, she was surprised to learn, did come off. He smirked at her, and, grabbing her by the waist, set her higher atop the rock, so only her feet dangled in the hot water.

When he knelt before her and parted her knees she leaned back and opened herself to him, silently asking him to do as he pleased with her. He began slow at first; only flicking her with his tongue, but soon he grazed over her most sensitive area with his fangs, eliciting little shrieks from her.

Looking down, all she could see were two golden orbs, swimming in crimson, staring lustily back her, his white bangs glistening as they fell over those orbs, and she moved them aside with her fingers, and they stared at each other as he worked her, and she came closer and closer to the edge. Finally scaling her peak, she moaned aloud, and he worked her only a moment longer before he began to lick a hot trail up to her navel, as she worked her fingernails over his scalp, urging him on, then, he travelled further over her abs, finally reaching her breasts, which he thoroughly bathed with his warm tongue. First one, then the other, until her nipples strained to reach him.

Biting down lightly, he licked away her pain. Drawing hard on each of them, he tasted a morsel of what Inumaru had been enjoying upon his arrival into the world; her milk was hot, and had little taste, but he savoured it, as only a true mate could.

When he drew away, he licked his lips, and Kagome felt her inner muscles contract in pure lust at the sight. But instead of kissing her, like she wanted, he stood up straight, and began to massage her belly, following with her breasts.

Suddenly he stopped, and his claws extended as he delicately exerted a small amount of pressure, raking them across her breasts. She felt no pain, but he had drawn blood.

As soon as he removed his hands, he licked away her blood, healing her wounds on contact with his saliva. She was a little irked to see that his scratches had left scars. He repeated this again, this time on her inner thighs, and once more on her hips. She didn't know what he was doing, but it was painless, and she trusted him with her life, and so she said nothing, only watched in silent testament to this strange ritual. She would ask him about it later.

When he finished, he brought his face to hers, and kissed her for a long time. When he pulled away, he brought her to stand, then washed her sweaty body again with handfuls of steamy water.

Dunking himself quickly, he then led her from the spring, and, throwing his haori over her, he grabbed his things with one arm and picked her up with the other, and headed back to the house.

Jaken bowed and retreated upon the sight of his Master, and Sesshoumaru put Kagome in the bed, crawling on top of her and kissing her goodnight as he rested his head against her heart.

She yawned, she was so sleepy, all that mating had worn her out. She smiled, and drifted to sleep, her fingers still knotted firmly in Sesshoumaru's long silver hair.

She opened her eyes. Looking around, Kagome didn't know where she was, and she became afraid. Out of nowhere, a light brightened ahead, and she followed it, hearing someone call her name.

_'Inuyasha?'_ she thought, as she started running toward the light.

As it got brighter, she closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she stood in a white room, alone.

_'What's going on?'_ she thought, and when she turned around, she heard, _'Kagome!'_

Turning again, she saw him, and her heart shattered, and ran to him, jumping on him and smothering his face with kisses.

_'Inuyasha! Is it really you? Oh, you don't know how much I've missed you!'_ she cried, her tears soaking both their faces.

_'Shh, Kagome, it's alright, I'm here.'_ He sighed. _'But not for long, baby.'_ He stroked her hair, and she buried her face in his neck, never wanting to let him go. She wanted to die, right now, she wanted to be with him. She'd never wanted anything so bad in her entire life.

_'Can't we just hold each other for the rest of our lives?'_ she sniffled, squeezing him tighter. He chuckled, then held her away from him, gripping her arms.

_'You know we can't, sweetheart. I'm just so sorry I never got to tell you goodbye, and that I love you.'_

She was undone by his words, and kissed him hard, revelling in the feel of him, something she'd sorely missed. _'I wanted so bad to say the same thing,'_ she confessed, and he held her tight to him, wishing this moment would go on forever.

_'Kagome, you have to move on, honey. You know that, don't you?'_ he asked, hating himself for what he was about to do, but knew it had to be done all the same. It was necessary, for both of them, but he didn't have to like it.

She sighed. _'I don't want to,'_ she said, even though she knew that wasn't true. He chuckled.

_'You already have, honey.' _he said, tipping her chin up, so she could see his eyes. _'You made the right decision, you know. Before I died I was going to tell you that I wanted you to go to him, but I never got the chance. He'll take care of you, Kagome. He loves you, has since the day he kidnapped you, I'd wager. Of course, I'll never tell him I knew that, that bastard, but…'_ he softened as he rested his forehead on hers.

She had closed her eyes, and tears seeped out from beneath her sooty lashes, and his heart broke, he was giving her away to his own brother, whom he hated, but he had to, for her sake, and the pup's.

_'Oh,'_ he said, brightening, _'what did you name the pup? Was it a boy? Or a girl?'_

She smiled through her tears, and clutched his hands to her heart. _'He was a boy, Inuyasha. You gave me a strapping baby boy, just like his Daddy,'_ she choked, hating him for dying on her, but unable to maintain her anger for longer than a second.

_'Sesshoumaru suggested I name him Inumaru. Do you like it?'_ His eyes softened, and he squeezed her hands back, and smiled a smile that could have lit up the room, were it not so bright already.

_'Kagome, I love it,'_ he said, oddly touched that Sesshoumaru would have suggested it at all.

_'Hmm, I'm glad. I love you, Inuyasha.'_ she kissed him, and frowned slightly as he replied, _'Listen to your heart, Kagome,'_ before everything went black.

She began to panic, but heard, as if it was an echo in an indefinable space, his voice, telling her he loved her too, and that he would always be with her. She smiled, finally at peace.

Sesshoumaru awoke before Kagome, and, checking on Inumaru, who snored softly, he got up and went outside to do his business. On his way out, he spotted Jaken, asleep next to his pile of armour, a huge snot bubble coming from his nose.

_'That's disgusting,'_ he thought idly as he passed.

What made him stop was the piece of red cloth that peeked out from under his armour, and he remembered the cloth he'd caught yesterday.

Extracting it without waking the kappa, he crept back to the bedroom, and draped it over Kagome, who smiled and rolled over, still asleep. Smiling down on her, he left the room once more, this time in a bigger hurry. He really had to go, and all the better if no one witnessed his lapse in composure.

Sango had arisen early; her wedding was only two days away, and she was too excited to sleep. Sitting on her back porch, watching the sun come up, she heard a rustling to her right. Curious, she quietly walked to the corner of the porch to see what had made the noise.

To her shock, Sesshoumaru stood with his back to her, pissing on the tree that stood midway between her house and Kagome's. Her jaw dropped as she watched him shake it off, the walk back to the house, and disappear through the reed covering that hung there.

She started to giggle; she was willing to bet she was the first to ever witness such a base moment involving the stoic Lord. While she knew he had to do his business like everyone else, he just gave the impression that things like that were beneath him, and therefore unnecessary, and she found it hard to imagine him doing it - until now, anyway.

When Miroku found her an hour later, she was still laughing, and she told him what was so funny when he had asked, smiling in his curiosity.

He laughed outright then, too, and both were crying before long, and Sango laughed so hard she almost peed when Miroku fell off the porch, clutching his sides, wailing that he was going to be the one to wet himself first.

Sango got up and ran, yelling, "_Too late!_" as she dashed to the nearest bush.

This only made Miroku laugh harder.

Yay for dream sequences, all for you Inuyasha-lovers out there who were mad at me for offing him! Hopefully no one will threaten me with another one! lol. I think I'm almost done this thing people, and I hope this story isn't getting boring, it's my biggest fear! I love you all my little chalamalas!


	14. Chapter 14

Hey, all! Back from work, god old people drive me nuts...anyway, here's chapter fourteen, chock full of fun and excitement. Ha.

Deds: Kitsune Lover - Thank you for all your kind words and encouragements; your reviews are the ones I find myself looking forward to, so...the whole story is dedicated to you, my friend, thank you for everything!

lizziekins - I'm so glad you like it, hun!

smartgal2007 - You're so impatient!... I like that! Here ya go, please don't kill me! lol

Disclaimer: MMMM...Aero bar...

**Moonlight Shadow**

Sesshoumaru returned quietly, and Jaken was gone when he reached the upper hall. Secretly glad, Sesshoumaru listened, trying to locate him. He was in the kitchen, looking for something to eat.

_'As long as he's gone…'_ Sesshoumaru thought, and turned the corner into the door way.

What he saw puzzled him. The bed was empty, and Inumaru wasn't in his basinet, either. He looked around, and found Kagome on the floor next to his swords, feeding Inumaru as she stroked one hand down _Tensaiga_, the red fire-rat cloth wrapped around the pup. He leaned against the doorjamb, and waited for her to speak.

"It wouldn't have worked, would it?" she finally asked, a tear sliding down her cheek. He took a deep breath, then moved to squat behind her. Grasping both her shoulders, he brought his face to nuzzle her neck.

"No, Kagome, it wouldn't," he confirmed, then continued, "there has to be a physical body to revive, and the acid destroyed all traces. I had to, or Naraku would have completely overtaken him and he would still be no more than a puppet. As much as I'm sure you doubt my words, I wanted that for my brother no more than you did."

She put her free hand atop his, and sniffled, her question finally answered. "I'm so sorry you had to do that, Sesshoumaru," she whispered, but added, "Thank you."

He looked into her eyes then, surprised. Why was she thanking him? He'd killed her mate.

She smiled a little, reassuringly. Then she spoke words that were far beyond her years in wisdom.

"You didn't kill him, Sesshoumaru," she caressed his cheek with her hand.

"You saved him."

She didn't tell him about her dream; she wasn't ready yet. But she would tell him - she just needed a little time.

Sango and Miroku's wedding was so beautiful, and Kagome cried through the whole thing.

Everyone in the village turned out, and Kaede did the honours of officiating. Afterward, everyone went back to Sango and Miroku's house, and stood around eating food, talking, giving gifts and well wishes, and, most fun of all, dancing.

The celebration lasted into the night. Shippo had stuffed himself so full of food, a group of little girls that had recently discovered his adorability had to roll him around like a ball to get where they needed to go. Kagome would giggle every time he rolled by, and he would wave and scream her name.

One little girl approached Kagome slowly during supper, and asked to see her baby. Kagome smiled, and tickled Inumaru's little nose, to wake him up.

The little girl giggled when he snuffled and tried to swat his mother's hand away, but she jostled him and he fully awoke, blinking his beautiful eyes. When the little girl saw them, she gasped; Kagome said, "What is it honey?" and turned Inumaru around to face her, thinking something was wrong.

The child brought her hand to his little ears and whispered, "Lady Kagome, his eyes…they are yellow. They are so beautiful!"

Kagome relaxed, and smiled brightly at the little girl. "You think so? You don't think they're odd?"

She shook her head, and offered her pinky to the pup, who gripped it tightly, then refused to let go. She pumped his little hand, saying, "Hello, little one, my name's Rin, what's yours?"

It was Kagome's turn to gasp.

"Rin?" she said, and the little girl looked up, and smiled at her, nodding her head. "What happened to you? I didn't even recognise you!"

Now that Kagome really looked at her, the child wasn't as little as she thought; Rin was short, yes, but she was taller than she had been the last time Kagome had seen her, and her little side ponytail she used to wear had been abandoned in favour of loose tresses that flowed becomingly about her pretty face.

Rin was growing up, and Kagome wondered how just long this had been going on. Sesshoumaru never talked about Rin; of course, Kagome reflected, feeling bad, she hadn't asked him about her, either. It seemed like only yesterday that she'd taken this child down the Well to be treated for Appendicitis…but she supposed a good amount of time had passed. The last time she and Rin had been together was before Kagome became pregnant.

Shaking herself out of her memories, Kagome leaned over and hugged Rin, who eagerly hugged her back, and asked to hold the pup.

When Kagome handed him over, Rin cooed at him and played with his little ears, and he laughed. Both woman and child looked at each other with a smile of delight as Inumaru continued to laugh a cute little gurgle, then got hiccups.

"That's the first time he's ever laughed," Kagome remarked, and Rin smiled as she handed Inumaru back to his mother.

Glancing around, and patting Inumaru's back to stave off the next round of hiccups, Kagome asked, "Did you come alone, Rin?"

"Oh no, Lady Kagome. I came with Lord Sesshoumaru. He's been watching us for the last five minutes, actually. Can you keep a secret?"

Kagome nodded, and leaned over to give the child her ear.

"Don't tell him I told you, but I think Lord Sesshoumaru loves you, Lady Kagome!" she giggled, and Kagome looked over her shoulder, locating him, staring for a second, smiling, then turned back, noticing Rin had done as she had, and whispered, "You think so?" and giggling herself.

Rin nodded emphatically, enjoying sharing her confidences with the older woman. "Well, I guess we'll have to test your theory and find out, now won't we?" she said, and Rin smiled, amused by the conspiratory gleam in Kagome's eyes.

Sesshoumaru, after bidding the newlyweds good fortune and a long life together (all done while everyone around them seemed to disperse, and give the demon wide berth, to his chagrin), Sesshoumaru scanned the crowd for Rin, whom he knew would either be chasing the kitsune ball that rolled by a moment ago or rolling in the grass herself, somewhere.

He was a little surprised to see her sitting with Kagome, Inumaru gripping her pinky tightly as she waved it around.

He leaned against the nearest tree and watched the two together; they could easily pass for mother and daughter, they way they got along, he thought, as they giggled and passed the child back and forth between them.

When they both turned around to stare at him, then smiled and turned away laughing, he felt his lower lip jut out before he could stop it, in a very adorable pout that had anyone been looking, they would have laughed at the goofy picture he made, but those who had been looking had long ago grown bored for he did nothing out of the ordinary worth watching, and they had lost interest.

Suddenly he felt very left out; in fact, not the first time he'd felt this way since he'd met her.

Resolving to find out what was so damn funny, he strode purposefully toward the two females, and upon his arrival at their seats, was caught off guard when Kagome jumped up and grabbed his hand.

"Sesshoumaru, will you come with me for a moment? Rin, sweetie," she said, "will you watch Inumaru for me?"

At Rin's nod, Kagome handed her the baby, and, winking, grabbed Sesshoumaru's hand and practically dragged him away, while Rin watched, smiling a toothy grin.

Kagome glanced at her watch and waved to Sango as she pulled Sesshoumaru toward the forest, and he watched in complete curiosity at the whole exchange. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was planning something…but what?

Finally reaching their destination, the Well, Kagome pointed her finger at Sesshoumaru's nose and watched his eyes cross as she demanded that he not budge from that very spot.

He frowned. "Why?" he asked, confused.

She swung a leg over the edge and replied, "Wait and see." then disappeared with a flash of blue light.

Several minutes passed and she had still not returned. Sesshoumaru sat down, and pondered her actions. What was she doing in her time?

The Well flashed again as he ended this thought, and he looked over the edge, to see her touch down with a black box, a case of some sort, and a long rope-like wire that wasn't made of rope.  
She looked up at him, and laughed at his puzzled expression. "A little help, please?" she asked, holding up her hand.

He quickly lifted her out, and watched silently as she attached all the wires together, end to end, then moved back toward the party stringing the wires out behind her.

He was really confused now, but he wasn't going to ask her and risk looking dumb. Someone had once said, _'It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.'_ Sesshoumaru thought that person must have opened their mouth a few too many times before coining that phrase.

When they reached the edge of the party, Kagome set the black box on a low table set up outside and connected the end of the wire to a wire hanging out the back of the box. Then, popping open the top of the box, she opened the little black case, took out a shiny round disc, slapped it into the big box, and closed the lid. Pushing a button, she clapped her hands to see a little red light above the button glow brightly.

Kagome was happy to see the CD player power up; she hadn't known if her idea would work. Sango had asked her to bring some music from her time for everyone to dance to at the party, and, though Kagome couldn't promise it would work, she could promise that she would give it a try.

Calling Sango over, she whispered, "It's a go," as Sango smiled and then called the crowd to attention.

"Okay, everybody, QUIET!" Sango yelled, and everyone fell silent, some with food still half-way to their mouths.

"My very best friend, Lady Kagome, has brought some music from her time for us to enjoy, and, even though some of you may find it strange at first, take it from me, once you get used to it, you won't be able to get enough. Hit it, Kagome!"

Kagome pressed the Play button, and, after setting the CD on Random, turned up the volume as music poured forth from the black box.

Sesshoumaru jumped, and moved slightly away; this box was loud! He watched with an amused frown as the rolling kitsune ball demanded his entourage of little ladies roll him to the area cleared for dancing, then proceeded to do just that, the girls jumping up and down around him in a frenzy.

Even though he found the music excessively loud, Sesshoumaru caught himself tapping his foot to the beat. Embarrassed, he jammed his arms up his sleeves and affected his Unapproachable look, ceasing his foot-tapping immediately.

Kagome grabbed his hand, and tried to drag him out on the dance floor, but she had to pull really hard, because he dug his heels into the ground and tried to glare at her.

Kagome growled, "Come on, Sesshoumaru! Stop being such a party-pooper!" and he snorted at her term for him, then coughed, "A what?"

She smiled. "You heard me."

Finally getting him where she wanted him, other couples twirling by, he still refused to move. _'So,'_ she thought, _'going to play hard to get, eh?'_

Catching Rin's eye and winking at her, Kagome did the first thing that came to her mind to get a reaction from him: she kissed him, right there in front of everyone!

At first surprised, then slightly angry, he tried to pull out of her embrace, but she had affected an iron grip on him, and began to sensually move her hands over his waist, up his back, and down his arms, all while kissing him as passionately as she could.

Unable to resist her barrage for long, he slowly relaxed in her hold, and, knowing she had him right where she wanted him, began to sway him gently as a slow song came on, and she wrapped her arms about his neck, then guided his arms to rest around her waist before replacing them.

So lost in her eyes was he that he didn't even notice the stares of the other couples as the priestess Kagome tamed the demon Lord Sesshoumaru before their very eyes. Even those who disapproved of the priestess' predilection for men of demon nature held their tongues tonight, in deference to Sango and Miroku's wishes for a peaceful evening spent celebrating their nuptials.

When Kagome broke their kisses for air, Sesshoumaru came back to himself, and found that he rather enjoyed dancing with her. He looked at her with a critical eye for a moment, though he could find no fault with her appearance.

She was wearing the white yukata he'd given her, with the red obi and sandals, and she had dressed Imumaru in a little suit/sleeper she'd gotten from her time, back before the pup had been born, in preparation for this wedding. Her hair was done in an updo, and sprigs of Baby's Breath were tucked tightly in the back. He noticed that she had opted for something that he'd never seen her wear before: lipstick. Red in colour, it went well with her whole ensemble, and he felt his demon flare awake at the thought of removing all her finery later tonight.

As Kagome listened to slow song after slow song pass, she too became lost in the liquid gold of his eyes, and thought for sure that he must have put a spell on her to make her want him so badly.

She was sorely disappointed when the CD finally ended, but was saved by Shippo who immediately replaced it with a dance mix, one she'd made for her friends in this era, and when the first strains of fast music blared from the speakers, Sesshoumaru backed away, pushing her toward her friends who were dancing to the fast song and beckoning to her to join them.

"Are you sure?" she mouthed over the din, and he nodded.

Shrugging, she said, "Okay," then ran to throw her arms around Sango and scream along to the song, children running and screaming all around them.

Sesshoumaru watched as Rin approached him, her eyes begging him to let her join in the fun. He nodded, and, taking Inumaru, he went and sat down to watch the festivities from a distance he was sure wouldn't wake the now-sleeping pup.

He watched with an amused frown as soon, the small crowd of friends grew to a large one, the majority of them women and girls, all jumping and shouting, being closely watched, he noted, by a group of men off to the side, who were passing around several bottles of sake.

He spotted Rin, screaming her lungs out; he'd never seen her so happy. He suddenly felt guilty for neglecting her lately; she hadn't complained, but when he had seen her at his castle, which was rare these days, she was glum and unhappy, now that she rarely made rounds with him anymore.

He had thought of this wedding as an opportunity to make his negligence up to her, and had patiently awaited an invitation as an excuse to expose her to a crowd, and well…to Kagome.

Secretly he wanted to see just how well they got along, and was happy to see that they seemed to get along very well. He recalled Kagome saying that she loved Rin, and was hoping the two would still like each other when he told Rin of his decision to mate the miko he loved.

It was dark and very late when the music finally ended, and everyone, wishing Sango and Miroku happiness with a collective shout, departed to their own homes to sleep off the sake they'd so greedily drank.

Is your spouse a souse? He is if he was at this party, hahaha! I wasn't kidding up there, that Aero bar was sooo good...well, what can I say, I'm forming ideas for an epilogue, ppl, so not too much more to go! Yay! Then I can start another fic...yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Oh yeah, review, won't ya? pretty please? with a cherry on top?


	15. Chapter 15

No reviews, tear! I'm crying here people, and to think I finished this bitch this morning! Wahhh!

Deds: None! Nobody said anything...sigh. Nobody wants to play with me.

Disclaimer: Bring it on, lawyer dudes, I...oh, shit! Run away!

**Moonlight Shadow**

Kagome hugged Sango and Miroku goodnight, and giggled as a stone-sober Sango tried to negotiate a little-more-than-drunk Miroku up the stairs to their house, without dropping him.

She laughed outright when Sango, having had enough of Miroku's blatant groping all the way home, pushed him off the porch, shouted "Hentai!", and left him in the grass, before reluctantly returning a few minutes later to retrieve him and drag him to bed.

Unplugging the extension cord, she quickly followed it back to the Well with all the departing guests, disconnected it, and, dropping the nearest section down the Well, wrapped up the rest of it around her arm and made her way back to the meadow.

Meeting Sesshoumaru by the CD player, he took the cord from her and picked up the player and the CD case, while Rin carried Inumaru, and they all headed back to her house.

After they'd put all the equipment away, and Inumaru had woken up to scream hungrily for his mother, Sesshoumaru and Rin made to leave.

"And just where are the two of you going?" she asked pointedly, raising her eyebrow and walking away into the kitchen, motioning for them to follow her.

They did as she bid, and she opened the icebox and set out three ice-cream bars, one for each of them. The demon and the child eyed them warily, though the child was less obvious.

"Go ahead, try them," she said, and began to nurse Inumaru as they ripped the paper off the cold bars of…well, they didn't know what.

"No one should go to bed without a little ice cream first," she said, winking at Rin as she opened her own bar.

Rin smiled, then bit into the black and white confection. Sesshoumaru watched for her reaction before trying his own. When her eyes bugged out in delight, and the rest of her bar disappeared before his eyes, Sesshoumaru decided they must be good.

Gingerly sniffing it, he took a small bite from his own bar, and found that he, too, liked the strange confection very much, and proceeded to jam the whole thing in his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.

Kagome laughed, only half of hers was gone. "Good, huh?" she asked, and both nodded, one more dignified in his manner than the other, who nodded her head so fast Kagome thought she'd shake up her brains, if she kept on like that.

After things fell quiet again, Kagome adjusted Inumaru and then asked, "So, where do you want to sleep, Rin?"

Rin looked to Sesshoumaru, who was busy watching Kagome. He spoke not a word.

"Umm, I don't know." she replied, shrugging. Kagome smiled.

"Well, the guest room's been made up for a while, you can sleep there."

Rin nodded, then a thought seemed to strike her. "Where will Lord Sesshoumaru sleep?"

Kagome, still smiling, then looked at Sesshoumaru.

Without tearing his gaze away from hers, Sesshouamru leaned forward slightly, and replied, "With the Lady, Rin. That is, if she has no objections?"

Kagome grinned wickedly, and said, pulling a dramatic face, "Well, if you insist, mon Capitan!" He blinked, and both girls laughed, and Rin said, "Lord Sesshoumaru, if you lean over any further, you're going to fall out of your chair!"

Kagome covered her mouth as she laughed, and Rin held her stomach as Sesshoumaru tried slowly to lean back with as much dignity as he could muster.

Coughing, both women immediately stopped laughing, but continued to smile.

Burping Inumaru, Kagome got up and blew out the candles as Sesshoumaru led the way upstairs, and Kagome showed Rin her room and settled her in while Sesshoumaru went to their room and undressed, laying on the covers to wait.

On her way to bed, Kagome stopped by the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She supposed she should start making Rin brush her teeth too, though they probably hadn't even all fallen out yet.

Walking down the hall to her room, She noted Sesshoumaru liked to leave his armour in the hall; she decided to tell him to leave it in the room with them, so it was closer at hand, should he ever need it. The swords, of course, were next to bed when she entered, almost shocked to find a naked Sesshoumaru on the bed, awaiting her.

She grinned, and he purred at her seductively, grinning himself. This made her laugh out loud, and she said, "You clown! You never cease to surprise me, you know that?" as she put Inumaru down for the night.

He laughed, a deep baritone that she felt in her bones. "I only do it because I know you want it," he growled, referring to his own body.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I?"

He appeared to think about it for a moment. Then, nodding, he replied, "Yes, I'm sure I heard you screaming my name the other night."

She pointed a finger at him and said, "Ah!", and presented her back to him so he could undo the knot in her obi.

"'Ah', what?" he said, untying the garment with ease, and flinging the material across the room.

"We've only mated once before," she said, turning so he could part the yukata and slide it from her shoulders, "and I never screamed your name. If I recall correctly, you promised that we wouldn't have to say a single word."

Here he pulled her close, kneeling on the edge of the bed as she stood next to it, flush with him as her white garment pooled on the floor.

"Not, quite, my Lady," he kissed her lips softly, and drew out her bottom lip, sucking it as she closed her eyes, "I believe I said _I _wouldn't be saying any words, not you."

"Still," she said between kisses, twining her hands through his hair and palpating his scalp with her fingernails, "I never screamed your name."

"Well, that's something we shall have to remedy, now isn't it?" He splayed his hands over her spine and pulled her down with him, so she lay atop him.

She laughed into his mouth, and he smiled at the sensation it created. Kami, he loved her.

Straddling him, she sat up, her hair covering her eyes as she seemed to look into herself for a moment. Brightening, she leaned over and licked his ear, then blew into it, as he had once done to her. Then, she whispered, "I didn't tell you this, but I had a dream."

"A dream? What sort of dream?" he asked, running his claws down her thighs, raising gooseflesh wherever they touched.

"I'm not really sure, but Inuyasha came to me in my dream," she rubbed his pectorals until he purred with delight.

"He did, eh? What did he say?" Sesshoumaru was quickly losing control to his demon, and his eyes bled to red.

"Oh, only that he loved me, and that I made the right decision, and that he's happy I chose you."

He blinked his eyes, and they faded back to white.

"He said that?"

"Mm-hmm," she said, slowly grinding her hips over him, as his eyes once again faded back to crimson.

"Well, as long as you're both happy," he murmured, pulling her face down, and leaning up to meet her in a passionate kiss.

"Oh yes," she said, and slowly backed off him, keeping her eyes locked with his until she hovered over him, and flicked his tip with her tongue.

"I am very happy. I love you, Sesshoumaru."

"And I you, Lady."

She smiled as he dug his claws into her scalp, encouraging her onward.

Rin rolled over in her bed, and her eyelids flickered open as she thought she heard her Lord call the Lady's name, but dismissed it as her imagination, and went back to sleep.

Well, second-last chapter. I'm going to cry if no one writes to me...sniffle...too late...wahhhhh!


	16. Epilogue

Yay, this is it people, I have finally finished! I would just like to thank all the people who were kind enough to review, my best friend won't even read this story (says she's too busy, whatever), so all your encouragement and support has been greatly appreciated, thank you so much!

Disclaimer: Hi liar.

**Moonlight Shadow**

Kagome lay in bed on her back, Sesshoumaru next to her, asleep. She watched as he breathed in and out, his features almost boyish when he wasn't awake. He looked so young to her.

She reached out to stroke the space on the bridge of his nose between his brows, but was stopped by his hand coming up to grab her wrist. She giggled as his eyes opened, and he smiled.

A thought struck her out of nowhere.

"Sesshoumaru, I meant to ask you," she whispered, not wanting to wake Inumaru, "why did you scar me at the hot spring?" She looked down at the scars on her body as she said this.

"To let others know, should they ever miss the mating mark upon your neck, that your are the property of a demon Lord, and are to be left untouched. Those scars with fade upon my death."

He ran his hand over her belly as he said this, noting its flat planes, which reminded him of something, as well.

"Are you ready to continue with your lessons?"

She looked at him, puzzled for a second, but both her brows went up when she caught on.

"Oh, most definitely," she said, placing her hand along his jaw line, caressing the smooth skin there. He never seemed to need a shave, she thought idly. _'Must be a demon thing.'_

Both were silent for a while, and just stared into the other's eyes. Finally, Sesshoumaru voiced what had been on his mind for a while now.

"Kagome, if we are to be together, we are going to have to make some changes to our lives." She was quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"Since you seem to like it here, and Inuyasha worked so hard on this house, I will endeavor to have it finished for you." She smiled, happy.

"Secondly, while I was away the other day, I went to speak with the Eastern Lord, to enquire about a little land exchange." At this she frowned, not understanding where he was going with the conversation.

"I told him that the woman I loved lived in his lands, and he agreed to exchange this village for one of my own in the Western Lands; therefore this village now belongs to the Western Lands."

Here he took her face in his hands. "I never wanted to be away from you, my love, nor did I wish to take you away from your companions, or the Well. So, we will live here from now on, and my castle can be our vacation place. Jaken will take care of it."

She grinned, delighted with his words, then kissed him lovingly.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru, that's wonderful. I can't thank you enough. I dreaded the thought of leaving this house. For a while it brought me nothing but pain, but now, I think it would kill me to leave it. And I couldn't bear to leave Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kaede behind, either, I'd miss them too much, not to mention my family back home."

He smiled indulgently at her. He never thought he'd ever wind up where he was, in bed with a miko, a human one at that, stroking her bare belly and calling her his own, watching her smile as he indulged her whims and licked her lips.

_'Well, Father,'_ he thought, _'I guess you really had something going when you fell in love with a human, didn't you? If only I'd understood sooner.'_

Wrapping her legs around him, Kagome kissed his nose, then his upper lip, finally licking his chin until he opened his mouth to welcome her warm tongue before she pulled the covers over their heads, happy in the knowledge that not only was she gaining a daughter, but a husband as well, a husband she realised, that she'd always loved, long before he'd ever kidnapped her. _'Thank you, Inuyasha,'_ she thought.

"I have a gift for you as well."

Extracting herself from him, she moved to the closet, and brought out _Tetsusaiga_, which was covered with a transparent layer of dust. Blowing it off, Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated, and both sword and woman began to glow.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the intensity of the white light she was emanating. Finally, in a bright burst, a breeze blew through the room, and Kagome opened her eyes, smiling.

"Here," she said, and handed him the sword. Eying her doubtfully, he reached out and accepted it. To his amazement, it didn't burn him. He looked back at her and she leaned forward, and nodded.

Looking back to _Tetsusaiga_, he pulled it out of the black lacquered sheath, and grinned as it transformed for him, light as a feather.

"I think he would have wanted you to have it, being his older brother and all," she said, and he leaned over and crushed her to his chest in a heart-felt hug.

"Thank you, Kagome," he said, putting the sword down next to _Tensaiga_ and _Tokijin_, both pulsing a greeting, _Tensaiga_ more strongly, for _Tetsusaiga _was its brother sword.

She grinned, and returned his embrace. Nuzzling his neck, smiling, she whispered, "This has been one crazy relationship, Sesshoumaru. I can't wait to tell Rin of all our plans."

"She'll be so happy to finally have a mother again," he rejoined, pulling her back down onto the bed with him.

She sighed in complete contentment in his arms.

And to think it had all started with a simple kidnapping…

Well, that's it me hardies, until the next fanfic, which I have _no_ ideas for yet. Well, it's been a slice! Later guys!


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